Four matches are scheduled for Tuesday. Morocco, already qualified with two wins in two games, wants to finish in the best possible way to prepare for its round of 16. As for Senegal, Aliou Cissé’s men face Malawi. A victory would allow them to finish leader of group B. We summarize everything in our CAN diary, our daily meeting until the final on February 6.
What to remember from this Monday
Only two matches were on the program, and they only concerned Group A. Already qualified for the rest of the competition, Cameroon conceded a draw (1-1) against Cape Verde. Ultra-dominant, the players of the organizing country opened the scoring with the inevitable Vincent Aboubakar, 5 goals in 3 games, The Cape Verdeans, who equalized shortly after the break, still had every chance of seeing the rest.
Burkina Faso had to do less well against Ethiopia, already eliminated. Bertrand Traoré and his teammates also shared the points on the same score (1-1), so they are the ones who are in the round of 16. Also with four points, Cape Verde can still hope to participate by finishing among the best third.
Tuesday’s program
Group B: Malawi-Senegal (5 p.m. on BeIN Sports 1)
A complicated group stage. Senegal would have hoped for a quieter start to the competition between positive cases and uneven results. The Teranga Lions will be able to count on all the players including Parisian Idrissa Gueye, captain Kalidou Koulibaly and their goalkeeper Edouard Mendy who have all tested negative. A victory is imperative, if they want to finish first in the group. Malawi can continue their journey during this CAN 2022. For this, a draw could be enough to qualify for the round of 16.
Group B: Zimbabwe-Guinea (5 p.m. on BeIN Sports 2)
Guinea is the second “big” in this group B. The men of former Parisian player Kaba Diawara started the competition well by winning against Malawi (1-0). A draw in the game against Senegal placed them as leaders on equal points with the Teranga Lions. The Zimbabwe of Lyonnais Tino Kadewere is dead last with two defeats. Despite this, they can still hope to qualify, if they are among the four best third. A victory should take them to 8th.
Group C: Ghana-Comoros (20 hours on BeIN Sports 2)
The selection coached by Milovan Rajevac has been disappointing since the start of the competition. However, Ghana is considered a cador of this CAN with renowned players: the Arsenal player Thomas Partey, the two Ayew brothers or the central defender of Strasbourg Alexander Djiku. In two games, they still haven’t won. The Comoros, for their first participation in this competition, have still not obtained the slightest point.
Group C: Gabon-Morocco (20 hours on BeIN Sports 1)
The first place in the group will be decided between the two nations. For now, Morocco is clear with two wins in two games. A trophy that the Atlas Lions won only once in 1976. In the standings, Gabon trails them by two points. After a victory during the match against the Comoros, the men trained by the Frenchman Patrice Neveu snagged a draw in the last moments. If they win, they will take first place. In 2019, the Panthers did not qualify, after being eliminated by Burundi.
The player to watch: Sadio Mané
He hasn’t fully launched his competition yet. Holder, in the first two games, Sadio Mané did not weigh enough on the defenses of his opponents. Stats that do not look like him with only one goal scored on penalty. A checkered start to CAN 2022 like his selection. He was furious in the mixed zone after the second game against Guinea (0-0). The player strongly criticized the timing of the matches. “It’s unfortunate to play twice in a row at 1 p.m., when some teams didn’t play at that time. It is not fair. We are not happy. With 4 points in two games, the Teranga Lions are still first in their group. To go even further, they will have to rely on a great Sadio Mané.