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Cape Verde showcased their dominance in a resounding 3-1 triumph over Burkina Faso at the Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde.
The spectators erupted with joy as Bebé opened the scoring in the 7th minute, expertly finishing off a play orchestrated by Cape Verde’s Patrick Andrade.
Comfortable on home turf, the Islanders seized control of the game, leaving their Burkinabe opponents devoid of offensive tactics. A notable instance saw Tapsoba failing to capitalize on an opportunity created by the Cape Verdean defense’s lapse.
While the Blue Sharks impressed offensively, they did encounter some lapses in concentration during defensive transitions. Taking advantage of these moments, Issoufou Dayo found the back of the net with a scrambled finish just before halftime.
As the teams emerged from the locker room, the Burkinabe side failed to regain their composure, losing their captain Bertrand Traoré to injury.
A significant blow for the semi-finalists of the previous AFCON, who found themselves suffocated by their West African rivals. Fernandes’ 76th-minute strike from the right wing restored the advantage for Cape Verde.
In the dying moments of the game, Andrade delivered the final blow, netting the third goal past Kilian Nikiema. With this remarkable victory, Cape Verde secures their place in the upcoming Côte d’Ivoire tournament, marking a significant achievement for the Blue Sharks.
Mali seal AFCON spot with commanding win
Mali emerged victorious in a 2-0 triumph over Congo during the CAF TotalEnergies 2023 qualifiers.
The match started with a goalless first half, but the Malian team showcased an entirely different level of play after the break. The Eagles unleashed a series of incisive attacks, ultimately breaking the deadlock through Ibrahima Koné.
Capitalizing on their excellent phases of play, Malian coach Eric Chelle made a few strategic changes.
The introduction of Nene Dorgeles in place of Kamory Doumbia proved to be a winning move, as Dorgeles found the back of the net just four minutes after coming on.
With a 2-0 lead firmly in their grasp, Mali skillfully navigated the rest of the match without conceding.
This victory secures Mali’s qualification for the highly anticipated Côte d’Ivoire 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Equatorial Guinea Stun Tunisia
Equatorial Guinea secured their place in the highly anticipated Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire 2023, with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Tunisia on Saturday.
It was a disheartening evening for the African powerhouses as both Morocco and Tunisia succumbed to defeat, leaving South Africa and Equatorial Guinea celebrating their triumphs.
Equatorial Guinea entered Saturday’s match requiring just a single point to secure their qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023, joining Tunisia, who had already secured their place in the prestigious tournament.
The first half of the Group J game provided few scoring opportunities for both teams.
As the second half kicked off, spectators at the Malabo stadium witnessed a scrappy affair with only a handful of set pieces injecting some life into the proceedings.
One such moment came when Miranda’s strike for the Nzalang Nacional took a deflection, causing a brief surge of excitement.
In the 81st minute, Miranda was fouled by Kechrida, resulting in a penalty.
Equatorial Guinean captain Emilio Nsue stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick. The Central Africans exacted revenge following their 4-0 defeat in the first leg against Tunisia.
Meanwhile, in the other Group J game played on Saturday, Botswana defeated Libya 1-0 Francistown Stadium to give the home side their first win of the qualifying campaign.
Gape Mohutsiwa scored the only goal of the match on the stroke of half-time to help the Zebras fans jubilate their first victory of the qualifying group.
The victory helped Botswana to leapfrog their opponents and move to third in the group but both sides have no chance of qualifying for the competition to be held in Cote d’Ivoire.
Zambia beat Cote d’Ivoire to secure AFCON qualification
Zambia secured a ticket to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Cote d’Ivoire 2023, after beating the already qualified hosts 3-0 at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Saturday.
Patson Daka and Kings Kangwa’s second half goals added on to a Serge Aurier own goal in the first half, as Avram Grant’s Chipolopolo stormed into the tournament in style. The victory at home pushed Zambia to 12 points top of Group H with one match remaining, two ahead of the Ivorians.
The group is now closed, as only one team could progress from there. The 2012 champions are making a return to the tournament for the first time since 2015 after missing the last three editions.
Powered on by a full capacity crowd in Ndola, Zambia started well and had a strong of chances with the forward duo of Patson Daka and Fashion Sakala being a constant threat. They broke the lead on the half hour mark when Aurier scored into his own net after being put under pressure by Daka.
They went to the break with a single goal lead, and on the balance of chances, should have had more.
They needed just two minutes after the break to double their lead, Daka finding the net with a neat finish. Seven minutes later, it was game over when Kangwa got the third and the Zambians were surely flying into qualification.
The Ivorians attempted to make a response with the final 20 minutes of the game. Ibrahim Sangare had a shot from the edge of the box fly inches over while substitute Max Gradel saw his well weighted freekick tipped over the bar.
Zambia managed to hold on to the score and a clean sheet, announcing their qualification in style.
Meanwhile in the other Group H match played in Johannesburg, Youssouf M’Changama scored a 90th minute goal as Comoros beat Lesotho 1-0 to cement their hold on third spot with six points, though both sides are out of contention for a place in the tournament after Zambia’s win.
Lesotho will finish bottom as they have just one single point following their fourth defeat in the group.