The Gambia and Comoros are making history and achieving their first African Cup of Nations qualification

FC Zrich striker Asaan Cesay led the Scorpions to national glory in the 62nd minute with a goal that is now the country’s history.

“We made history because we have the best team, not the best players. We have competed in the last two years with the best teams in the continent. Neither Algeria, Morocco, Angola, nor the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been. They cannot beat us,” Belgium coach Tom Santvitte said in a press room.

Gambia has ten points, like Japan, who easily beat the Democratic Republic of the Congo 3-0 and thus returned to the final stage after missing the last point.

Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal), Denis Bwanga (Saint-Tien) and Aaron Pobendza (Hattaispor, Turkey) put an end to the small hopes of the Congolese, one of the powers on the continent, who have emerged for the first time since then. 2012.

The day before, Comoros had also made history by qualifying for the first time thanks to their draw with Togo in a boring and tense match that ended with massive joy and celebration on this tiny Pacific island of barely a million people.

Known above all for its numerous coups, it maintains a rampant pace of football growth that has led to an impressive qualifying stage, with three wins and two draws in a tough group that also includes Egypt and Kenya.

The “Pharaohs”, one of the most successful African teams, got a ticket last night, with more difficulties than expected, after a draw in Nairobi thanks to the goal of Mohamed Mahdi “Afsha”, the midfielder of Al-Ahly Cairo.

Ghana Soda Classification

Ghana, one of the great traditional teams on the continent – in the process of transformation – has reduced the ranking on its soil as it was only able to draw with a goal with South Africa, which will have to dispute the final stage ticket with Sudan in the end. day.

Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Mohamed Koudos put the “Black Stars” before the second half at FNB Soccer City in Johannesburg, an unfortunate memory for Ghana, as they lost on penalties to qualify for the 2010 World Cup semi-finals in front of. Uruguay, in one of the most dramatic matches of the World Cup

His happiness was short lived, as after just four minutes, Brighton & Hove Albion striker Percy Tao equalized the shock and left Bafana Bafana’s hopes open last week and tied points with Sudan.

Both will play life or death in Khartoum, with a slight advantage for South Africans who won (1-0) in the match that was held at their home.

Kamal Chikwindi, midfielder for Simba (Tanzania), was the champion of Zimbabwe in his first match with the national team with a goal in the first half that allowed the “warriors” to defeat Botswana on their home turf and thus end the hopes of the “zebras”. .

Zambia was also eliminated after its 3-3 draw at home with the current champion Algeria, which is also the leader of the group, in a match in which it distinguished itself in the absence of its great star, Riyad Mahrez, Olympic striker Lyon Islam. Soleimani, formerly Porto, with a double and an assist.

Football after seven years of war

Professional football returned to the stadiums in Libya last night after seven years of civil war, with a match in the qualifiers for the upcoming African Cup of Nations (CAN) in Tunisia that sold its passes and the owners of the land were eliminated (2-5).

“Aguilas de Cartago” was well ahead of Libyan caballeros at “Mrtires de Febrero” stadium in Benghazi, in a meeting neither team nor match would ever remember. Result: On the expected line, and yes to the high symbolic value at the moment of the transition towards stability in the country.

However, it was the Libyans who opened the scoring with a goal in the 21st minute through Mouayad Al Lafi, top scorer for the night, who is employed by Moroccan Wydad Casablanca, who until last year led Spain’s Juan Carlos Garrido, the current Castellen technician. .

Ilyas Skhiri (Cologne) equalized before the end of the first half, and Seif El Din Jaziri (Zamalek), the last stoppage goal scorer, put the Tunisians in the lead three minutes after the start of the second half, in which the Libyans noticed the slightest physical preparation for them.

Mohamed Drager (Olympiacos) extended the lead in the 51st minute and although Lafi tightened the score again after three minutes, Anis Benslimane (Brindby IF, Denmark) confirmed the superiority of the “Eagles of Carthage”, the second African team in the FIFA classification, after Senegal.

Tunisia dominates Group J classification with 13 points ahead of Equatorial Guinea, which also concluded a pass by beating Tanzania with a single goal by Emilio Feminist (APOEL Nicosia) and thus benefited from the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to expand. Teams from 16 to 24 are in the final round.

In the opening match of the fifth round of the qualifiers, Burkina Faso got their ticket to a 0-0 draw with Uganda, which would play the home pass with Malawi in the final match.

Pictures and data: EFE