The Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, Cameron 2021, enter matchday 5 with some fascinating display of football across the continent. CAF has postponed the tournament to early 2022 due to the COVID-19 even though Cameroon remains the host. The AFCON qualifying games commenced after the last matches were played in November last year. AFCON 2021 AFCON 2021 AFCON 2021 AFCON 2021
Earlier this week CAF disqualified Chad from the Qualification which automatically canceled their game with Namibia. On 24th March 2021, Uganda played a goalless draw with Burkina Faso. Also, South Sudan beat Malawi by a goal to nil, Sudan beat São Tomé and Príncipe by 2 goals to nil. Other results include Rwanda 1-0 Mozambique, Guinea 1-0 Mali whilst Ethiopia thrashed Madagascar 4-0.
Unfancied Black stars held South Africa to a draw
Arguably, Group C remains the toughest in this qualification. After failing to qualify on matchday 4, Ghana drew 1-1 with South Africa to secure qualification.
Ghana however played in the absence of the likes of Ayew brothers, Thomas Partey, Jeffrey Schlupp, and John Boye. Talented Ajax midfielder, Mohammed Kudus placed Ghana ahead with Percy Tau equalizing for the South Africans within 3 minutes. The earlier away victory over São Tomé and Príncipe saw Sudan move third in Group C with 9 points. As a result, Sudan is a point behind Ghana and South Africa who are tied on 10 points each. Ghana is however ahead on goal difference.
The results leave South Africa to battle with Sudan on Sunday for the other Group C ticket to the finals. Meanwhile, the Black Stars will welcome São Tomé and Príncipe on Sunday, March 28.
Group H Matches
Meanwhile, defending champions Algeria kept their unbeaten record intact with an away thrilling 3-3 draw with Zambia in Lusaka. The result means the Desert Foxes remain top of Group H with 11 points with a game to spare. Per this result, Algeria has extended its unbeaten run to 23 games.
Moreover, the draw in Lusaka meant Zimbabwe guaranteed qualification to the Total AFCON finals. This is because the Warriors have beaten Botswana 1-0 in a simultaneous kickoff in Gaborone. On the final matchday, Algeria will host Botswana while Zimbabwe faces Zambia in Harare.
Comoros, Gambia seals historic Total AFCON qualification
It was party time for Comoros when it sealed its first-ever AFCON qualification after a goalless draw with the Hawks of Togo on Thursday.
The South-East island state has steadily improved after it was humiliated twice by Madagascar in its debut in the 2010 edition. Meanwhile, a 1-1 draw with Kenya saw the Pharaohs of Egypt also booking their qualification.
Likewise, the Gambia qualify for the first time, thanks to a 1-0 win over Angola in Bakau. Meanwhile, Gabon joined the Gambia after beating the Democratic Republic of Congo 3-0 in Franceville. The Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang produced outstanding performance on the day to ensure Gabon booked a ticket to Cameroon.
In Group J, the Cartage Eagles of Tunisia beat Libya 5-2 in an all North African clash. And in the other Group J game, Equatorial Guinea beat Tanzania 1-0.
After yesterday’s games, Ghana, Egypt, Comoros, Zimbabwe, Gabon, and the Gambia secured their qualification tickets to AFCON 2021. The matches continue today with an early kick-off between Eswatini and Guinea Bissau in Group I while Burundi takes on the Central African Republic in Group E.
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