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The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Monday and Tuesday yielded some surprising results as African countries continue their quest to qualify for the continental masterpiece in 2022.
The shocking result of the last matches saw Sudan defeat four-time African champion Ghana 1-0 at Al Hilal Stadium in Omdurman.
Mohamed Abdel Rahman scored the winning goal in injury time to inflict the Black Stars’ first loss of the qualifying campaign.
It also gave life to Sudan’s chances of qualifying for the tournament as they are third in Group C with six points, three behind joint leaders Ghana and South Africa, who defeated Sao Tome and Principe 4-2.
In Nairobi, a first-half penalty from Tito Okello saw South Sudan beat Uganda 1-0 in a match that saw both teams finish with 10 men.
The victory saw South Sudan, still last in Group B, claim their first points.
Uganda is second with seven points, one behind leader Burkina Faso and three ahead of Malawi, who drew 0-0.
Defending champion Algeria qualified for the tournament in Group H despite Zimbabwe drawing 2-2.
The Desert Foxes had led Andy Delort and Riyad Mahrez, but then lost their lead when Knowledge Musona and Prince Dube scored for the hosts.
Algeria leads the way with 10 points, followed by Zimbabwe with five, followed by Botswana, which defeated Zambia, the 2012 winner, 1-0. Botswana and Zambia have four and three points respectively.
Group K remains slightly open after joint leaders Ivory Coast and Madagascar tied one at Toamasina and went to seven points. Third-place Ethiopia thrashed Niger to move within one point of the leaders, while their opponents remained last with three points.
Seven-time champions Egypt came closer to securing qualification after a 3-1 win against Togo, the last-placed in Group G.
In Group L, Sierra Leone kept their slim qualifying hopes alive after playing a goalless draw with three-time champion and group-leader Nigeria, just days after both teams also tied in an eight-goal thriller. In the other group match, Lesotho also kept second-placed Benin in a sterile stalemate.
Tunisia moved from Group J after a 1-1 draw against Tanzania and remain unbeaten with 10 points, while Tanzania (four) is two points behind Equatorial Guinea (six). Mali also qualified in Group A after defeating Namibia 2-1 thanks to goals from Sekou Koita and Moussa Doumbia.
Group D remains a three-way battle after the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Gambia defeated Angola and Gabon, respectively. The Gambia and Gabon lead the group with seven points, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo with six and Angola with one.
Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech scored a goal and set up another. Morocco nearly clinched Group E qualification with a 2-0 victory against the Central African Republic, while Burundi had previously beaten Mauritania 3-1.
Host Cameroon went six points clear at the top of Group F after beating Mozambique 2-0 in Maputo and the host missed a penalty in the first half. In the other group match, Rwanda drew 0-0 with Cape Verde, with 10 men.
Cameroon are participating in the playoffs even though they have already qualified for the tournament in order to get much needed playing time. However, your matches and results will count to determine the ranking of the other teams in your group.
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