AFCON Daily: South Africa storm past Namibia, draws for Morocco, Zambia
In this AFCON daily, we’re reporting on action from 21st January and previewing four fixtures that will determine the final standings in Groups A and B.
South Africa rebounded from defeat against Mali with a rip-roaring victory over rivals Namibia, but Morocco and Zambia had to settle for draws against DR Congo and Zambia respectively.
South Africa 4-0 Namibia
South Africa moved second in Group E with an emphatic 4-0 win over rivals Namibia.
Percy Tau converted an early penalty before Themba Zwane’s brace gave Bafana Bafana a three-goal lead at the half. Substitute Thapelo Maseko then added another after the break to punctuate an emphatic win.
Qualification remains a possibility for the Brave Warriors, who only trail South Africa on goal difference, but they will have to perform better if they hope to defeat Mali.
Mali are top of Group E after their 1-1 draw with Tunisia
South Africa took an early lead from the penalty spot after VAR adjudged Riaan Hanamub to have handled the ball in the Namibian box.
Having shot sky-high against Mali, Tau redeemed himself from twelve yards with a precise strike into the bottom right corner in the 14th minute.
Despite some Namibian pressure, Bafana Bafana struck again in the 25th minute with Zwane finishing expertly from Thapelo Morena’s cutback.
Zwane then added a stylish South African third in the 40th minute, curling the ball into the far-corner from a tight angle.
"They have arrived and arrived in STYLE!" 🤩
Themba Zwane AGAIN! 🔁 pic.twitter.com/FHE8MzI5rG
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 21, 2024
Bafana added insult to injury in the 75th minute when Maseko ran beyond the Namibian defence and fired toward Lloyd Kazapua, who could only parry it into his own net.
Namibia barely managed an offensive whimper in the final 20 minutes, and South Africa were left to revel in a memorable win.
Jonny Coffey
Morocco 1-1 DR Congo
An early goal from Achraf Hakimi and a strong Morocco defensive display were not enough to get the win as DR Congo came from behind to share the points. The surprise result leaves Morocco top of Group F with DR Congo and Zambia only two points behind.
The combination of Hakim Ziyech and Hakimi caused trouble early in the first half for the DR Congo defence. It only took 6 minutes for Ziyech’s corner to find Hakimi who volleyed the ball into back of the net.
Tides began changing midway through the first half as the DRC put sustained pressure on the Morocco defence.
They earned a penalty after a lengthy delay due to a head injury and VAR review in the 38th minute. However, Cédric Bakambu dragged his effort wide, and Morocco made it to the break with their 1-0 lead intact.
The lead never looked secure as DRC’s chances continued into the second half. Substitute Silas eventually found the equaliser in the 76th minute. Morocco defended well all game, but you can’t say DRC didn’t deserve it.
Silas bursts away from Hakimi
In the end, a point each was likely a fair result. Morocco created high expectations going into the tournament and they remain in the driving seat, but this unexpected result adds some unexpected chaos into Group F.
Julia Andersen
Zambia 1-1 Tanzania
A late Patson Daka header rescued a point for 10-man Zambia against Tanzania.
Simon Msuva opened the scoring early on for Tanzania before Zambia captain Rodrick Kabwe was sent off just before half-time.
Zambia had a mountain to climb in the second-half, but Patson Daka equalised 88 minutes in to rescue their hopes of qualification and deny Tanzania a first ever win at the AFCON.
Tanzania could not have started the game much better, opening the scoring after just 11 minutes. Mbwana Samatta drove forward and found Msuva in space on the right-hand side of the box, who smashed the ball into the top right corner.
Gambia should have equalised half an hour in, when Fashion Sakala failed to make good contact on a dangerous cross with an open net in front of him.
Then, in the 44th minute, captain Kabwe was sent off when a reckless challenge earned him a second yellow card.
Tanzania then almost had a penalty on the brink of half-time but Benedict Chepshi’s foul was controversially judged to be outside the box.
Zambia re-grouped well and got their equaliser through Daka in the 88th minute, with the striker flicking on Clatous Chama’s in-swinging corner.
Michael Thomas
What’s on today?
Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria (17:00 GMT)
Guinea-Bissau take on Nigeria to kick off matchday 3. Nigeria sit in second on goal difference and will secure their place in the round of 16 with a win and would likely still move on with a draw.
Nigeria are coming in confident after beating host nation Ivory Coast on matchday two and will benefit from the return of Kelechi Iheanacho who is rumoured to be fit.
Guinea-Bissau are staring down another AFCON group stage elimination as they have zero points from their opening two games. They need a win and for Ivory Coast to lose by more than three to have a chance of squeaking by in one of the third place slots.
Equatorial Guinea vs Ivory Coast (17:00 GMT)
The fate of hosts and two-time AFCON winners, Ivory Coast, hinges on this final match. The hosts opened the tournament with a convincing 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau but were left rueing missed chances in their 0-1 loss to Nigeria.
Ivory Coast will almost certainly beat Guinea-Bissau for third place even if they lose, but a win would leave no doubts about progression and give the home support cause for celebration.
Equatorial Guinea sit on four points after drawing with Nigeria and brushing Guinea-Bissau aside 4-2 in the first two matchdays, and are likely to progress irrespective of today’s result.
Mozambique vs Ghana (20:00 GMT)
It’s anyone’s game in this Group B match-up as both Mozambique and Ghana need all three points and an Egypt loss or draw to ensure qualification for the knockout stages. Ghana look to avoid being knocked out in the group stage of a third straight major tournament.
Ghana twice found the lead against Egypt last time out but left with only one point and a tough task to qualify for the round of 16. Mozambique are coming off a tough 3-0 defeat to Cape Verde and need a quick turnaround in their performance. A draw would likely spell the end at AFCON 2023 for both sides. This should make for a spicy final matchday in Group B.
Cape Verde vs Egypt (20:00 GMT)
Egypt will have to find a way to win without captain Mo Salah, who is scheduled to return to Liverpool to receive treatment for a hamstring injury and may not return until as late as the final, should they get that far. They face group leaders Cape Verde, who have already punched their ticket into the knockout stage.
Cape Verde are one of the stories of the tournament as the small island-nation have already beaten Mozambique 3-0 and Ghana 2-1. Egypt, on the other hand, eked out draws against Ghana and Mozambique have looked anything but convincing thus far. An Egypt loss and a Ghana win would likely knock the seven-time winners out of the tournament. Egypt will move on with a win, but a third group stage draw would leave their fate dependent on the outcome of the Mozambique vs Ghana game.
Julia Andersen
