AFCON 2025 Qualifiers Recap: The Good, The Bad, and The Genuinely Confusing
Published: Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Ah, the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers—the event that makes football fanatics heart race faster than a cheetah chasing a gazelle. And just like that, we have our tickets to Morocco being punched left, right, and center. This week, we watched Angola, DR Congo, and Egypt waltz into the finals while the rest of us are facepalming as our so-called “favourites” trip over their own shoelaces! Let’s dive into the drama!
Rwanda 2-1 Benin
Rwanda kept their hopes alive with a timely 2-1 victory over Benin—because, apparently, every game is a potential soap opera, and this one had its fair share of plot twists! With Innocent Nshuti striking gold in the 70th minute like a contestant on a cooking show finally nailing their soufflé, it was all system go. And just when Benin thought they’d catch a breather, a penalty conversion by Djihad Bizimana sealed the deal. Keep it up, Rwanda! Just try not to put us through another nail-biter next time!
Mauritania 0-1 Egypt
Meanwhile, over in Mauritania, Egypt continued their quest to become the most overachieving nation in AFCON history with a nail-biting 1-0 win. Ibrahim Adel must’ve had the heart of a lion to score the solitary goal in stoppage time. If the rest of Africa wasn’t already aware of Egypt’s prowess, they are now. This nation has more qualifiers than a talent show audition round!
Tanzania 0-2 DR Congo
The Leopards of DR Congo rolled into Tanzania and snatched a ticket to Morocco like they were on a scavenger hunt. With Meschak Elia rocking late goals in the 87th and 93rd minutes, it seemed Tanzania was just waiting for the lights to flicker on before they realized the match had started. Now, if only we could find a way to turn back time and let Tanzania have a go at it!
Niger 0-1 Angola
Ah yes, Angola “securing the bag” in style with a 1-0 victory, thanks to an early strike from Zini that woke everyone up faster than a double espresso shot! With four straight wins to their name, they’re pretty much packing their bags for Morocco while the other teams are stuck wondering why their hotels don’t have Wi-Fi during qualifiers.
Botswana 1-0 Cape Verde
Botswana’s chances of making it to the AFCON got a shot in the arm with a 1-0 victory over Cape Verde—a team that was perhaps looking for more than just “good vibes.” Thabang Sesyinyi’s 52nd-minute wonder left Cape Verde stuck in third place, scratching their heads, wondering when their luck would change!
Sierra Leone 1-0 Ivory Coast
And in a true turn of fate, reigning champions Ivory Coast found themselves on the losing side against Sierra Leone. If only their possession had translated into points, right? But alas, they failed to capitalize, and Amadou Bakayoko snatched the win right from under their noses in the 85th minute. The Elephants must be wondering if they left their game plan at home!
Guinea-Bissau 0-0 Mali
A goalless draw can be a lot like a first date: long stretches of awkward silence and unsure glances. Mali walked away with a point, but let’s be honest, no one’s getting high fives for not finishing! The excitement level here could only be rivaled by watching paint dry.
Congo 1-1 South Africa
In the final match of the day, Congo clawed their way back to secure a draw against South Africa. They say it’s not how you start, but how you finish, and Congo certainly embodied that with a late first-half equalizer that shook the South African squad awake just in time to prevent a meltdown. You’ve got to love it when teams decide to play “catch-up” like it’s a Sunday picnic!
In summary, it appears the road to Morocco is paved with twists, turns, and the occasional dramatic flare. With teams securing their futures and some falling flat like a bad soufflé, one thing is clear: the AFCON when it finally arrives, will be anything but boring!
Published:
Tuesday, 15 October 2024
TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 qualifiers action on Tuesday saw more nations secure their place in the finals as the race towards a place in Morocco continues to intensify across the continent.
Angola, DR Congo and Egypt were the three nations that secured their tickets to next year’s showpiece during the 16h00 GMT matches that took place on Tuesday evening.
CAFOnline takes a look at some of the outcomes of the fixtures that took place.
Rwanda 2-1 Benin
Rwanda kept their qualification hopes alive with a vital 2-1 win over Benin in Kigali thanks to second half strikes by Innocent Nshuti in the 70thminute which was followed by a 75th minute penalty conversion by Djihad Bizimana to seal an important three points for the nation.
The victory significantly improves Rwanda’s fighting chance of a qualification with just a point separating them from Benin who are behind Group D leaders, Nigeria.
Mauritania 0 – 1 Egypt
Record title holders, Egypt maintained their winning streak with a narrow 1-0 win over Mauritania thanks to a solitary strike in the dying minutes by Ibrahim Adel.
The win not only stretches Egypt’s lead, but seals qualification to the 2025 showpiece for the North African giants who have now won four out of four of the qualifier fixtures.
Tanzania 0 – 2 DR Congo
The Leopards sealed their place in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 with an impressive 2-0 win over Tanzania away from home.
With the tie headed for a goalless stalemate, it was Meschak Elia’s two late strikes in the 87th and 93rdminute that secured a ticket for the Leopards to next year’s continental showpiece.
Niger 0 – 1 Angola
A strike in the opening minute by Zini was enough to secure Angola a place in the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 finals.
Angola, who have now made it four straight wins comfortably lead Group F and are on their way to Morocco following Sudan’s win over Ghana earlier in the afternoon which sees them five points behind Angola with just two matches to go.
Botswana – Cape Verde
Botswana saw their TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 chances spring to life when they edged Cape Verde 1-0 in Gaborone.
Thabang Sesyinyi’s 52nd minute strike sees the southern African nations move up to second place behind the already qualified Egypt with just two matches to go.
Cape Verde will be disappointed in the result which sees them third in the group ahead of their final two fixtures.
Sierra Leone 1 – 0 Ivory Coast
Reigning African champions, Cote d’Ivoire suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sierra Leone – result that has kept Group G open ahead of Match Day 05 and 06 of the qualifiers.
Despite both sides enjoying a fair amount of ball possession, it was the hosts who capitalised on a late chance thanks to a strike by Amadou Bakayoko in the 85th minute to secure the vital win. The result sees Sierra Leone move from the bottom of Group G to third behind Zambia, while the Elephants remain at the top.
Guinea-Bissau 0 – 0 Mali
Mali walked away with a point to maintain their second place in Group I of the qualifiers after they held Guinea-Bissau to a goalless draw.
The result sees Mozambique remain top of the group with a better goal difference over the west Africans.
Congo 1 – 1 South Africa
Congo came from behind to salvage a point against South Africa in a highly entertaining 1-1 draw.
Elias Mokwana’s 33rd minute goal could have sealed qualification for the South Africans who finished third in the last edition. However, a goal in the dying minutes of the first half by Mons Bassouamina levelled matters for the two sides to share the spoils.
