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AFCON QUALIFIERS: ETHIOPIA DEFEAT NIGER TO REVIVE TICKET HOPES, MADAGASCAR, COTE D’ IVOIRE PLAYS DRAW.

Ethiopia’s Walia Ibex revived their hopes of qualification to the 2021 Total Africa Cup of Nations with an assured 3-0 victory over Niger at the Addis Ababa National Stadium on Tuesday.


Amanuel Gebremichael and Mesud Mohammed gave the home side a 2-0 lead at halftime before the ever reliable Getaneh Kebede sealed the victory for Ethiopia in the second half.

The result sees Ethiopia move to six points and onto third spot in the group while Côte d’Ivoire and Madagascar retained first and second place after playing to a 1-1 draw in Antananarivo.

Ethiopia got into the lead in the 13th minute when Gebremichael got the opener with a fantastic shot from inside the box after some quick interchange of passes with Shemeles Bekele.

Mohamed made it 2-0 for the hosts two minutes to the break when a quickly taken corner saw Bekele provide his second assist of the evening, teeing up his teammate who struck a brilliant curling effort beyond the keeper.

The Ethiopians kept the hunt in the second half and were rewarded with 20 minutes left for their hard work, partly thanks to some shambolic defending by Niger. Trying to play out from the back, Yusif Douda attempted a short pass back and Kebede pounced inside the box before unleashing a ferocious shot past the keeper.

Madagascar 1-1 Côte d’Ivoire
In Antananarivo, Madagascar found themselves trailing in the fourth minute when Franck Kessie converted from the penalty spot after Jeremy Morel handled as he tried to clear away a cross.

Despite trailing 1-0, Madagascar proved a match for the Ivorians. However, they couldn’t create many chances to trouble the visitors’ backline.

Côte d’Ivoire had a chance in the 42nd minute when Kessie released Nicolas Pepe through into the area but his shot was blocked. A minute to the break, Pepe curled in a beautiful cross inside the box, but Ibrahim Sangare miscued the shot a few yards from goal.

The intensity went up in the second half and within five minutes of the restart, Madagascar were back on level terms with a peach of a goal from skipper Ibrahim Amada who was brought in to start after coming off the bench in the first leg.

The midfielder struck a beautiful shot into the far left after being teed up by Morel, who made amends for the earlier penalty.

The match blew into a full contest, each trying to get into the final third for a goal. Kessie had a brilliant chance in the 63rd minute, but his shot after a beautiful half turn inside the box went inches high.

With quarter of an hour left, Kessie had another go at goal, this time his rasping shot from range finger-tipped onto the bar by the Madagascar keeper.

None of the two sides could get a goal as they settled for a point each, the final round of matches next year set to hold all the drama.

Source: cafonline.com

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AFCON QUALIFIERS: SUDAN STRIKE LATE TO STUN GHANA, RWANDA-CAPE VERDE, LESOTHO-BENIN END GOALESS.

Mohamed Abdel Rahman scored in the second minute of added time as hosts Sudan beat Ghana 1-0 to halt the Black Stars’ qualification party and revive their own hopes of qualifying for the Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be staged in Cameroon in 2022.
Ghana looked to be headed for qualification with two matches left, the point taking them to 10 points and an unassailable lead. However, Rahman headed home the goal that takes Sudan to six points in Group C and a hope for a first qualification since 2012.

Ghana who prior to the Sudan loss hadn’t tasted defeat in three matches however remain top with nine points, only edging South Africa on goal difference.

With Sao Tome and Principe already out of contention, the race for the group’s two slots are now left for the top three.

Ghana were looking to complete a double over the Sudanese having beaten them 2-0 in the first leg, but they couldn’t complete the job with their top striker and skipper Andre Ayew missing through injury.

Chances were few and far in between with Caleb Ekuban having half a chance after 10 minutes with a shot from the right that went wide. Sudan had a chance after 27 minutes, but Abdel Rahman’s shot from inside the box was saved while his attempt at cutting back the ball from the rebound ended in no man’s land.

Ghana created another chance in the 36th minute Mubarak Wakaso sending Tarique Fosu through with a brilliant defense splitting pass, but the Sudanese keeper was out quick to clear the danger.
Ghana’s forward play was better in the second half and Jordan Ayew, the skipper of the day taking over from his brother, had a shot from range well saved by the Sudanese keeper. On the hour mark, Wakaso had a go at goal with a rasping effort from a freekick which was also saved.

Sudan didn’t create much and their best opportunity was in the 75th minute when Ahmed Hamid Al-Tash’s shot on the half turn inside the box went wide.

Ghana had one last chance to try and break the deadlock, and from another set piece, Ayew saw his effort saved by the keeper.

They were punished in the second minute of added time when Abdel Rahman rose well inside the box to head home a Ramadan Agab cross from the right.

Rwanda 0-0 Cape Verde
At the Stade Nyamirambi in Kigali, hosts Rwanda were held to a frustrating goalless draw by Cape Verde. The Amavubi had to play 62 minutes of the match with 10 men after midfielder Ally Niyonzima was sent off in the 28th minute for a second yellow card.

The Rwandese are yet to score a goal in the qualifiers and had to endure another match without finding the back of the net. Not even the partnership between Jacques Tuyisenge and Meddie Kagere could inspire goals and the duo was substituted early in the second half.

Rwanda are on two points while Cape Verde are on four, same as Mozambique. With two matches remaining and only one slit available, the race is set to go down to the wire.

Lesotho 0-0 Benin
Lesotho’s chances of qualification have meanwhile grown slimmer after being held to a goalless draw by Benin. With the results, Lesotho remain bottom of the group with two points while Benin have moved to seven.

Source: cafonline.com

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SENEGAL 1-0 GUINEA BISSAU: MANE’S STRIKE EARNS SENEGAL TICKET TO 2021 AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS.

Liverpool star Sadio Mane scored as Senegal won 1-0 in Guinea-Bissau Sunday to become the second qualifiers for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals after hosts Cameroon.

The reigning African Footballer of the Year struck after 82 minutes against opponents reduced to 10 men by the red-carding of Jorge ‘Bura’ Nogueira midway through the second half in Bissau.

It has been a memorable five days for Mane, who scored the first goal and created the second when Senegal beat Guinea-Bissau 2-0 in Thies near Dakar last Wednesday.

The two victories lifted Senegal, currently the top ranked national team in Africa, to a maximum 12 points from four matches in Group I, and they qualified with two matches to spare.

Senegal complete their schedule between March 22 and 30 by travelling to Congo Brazzaville and hosting eSwatini, and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will probably request that Mane be rested.

Congo have six points, Guinea-Bissau three and eSwatini none in the struggle to qualify with 2002 and 2019 runners-up Senegal.

A win for the Congolese in eSwatini Monday would put them in pole position to reach the finals after missing out on the 2019 tournament in Egypt.

Another Liverpool star who scored was Guinea midfielder Naby Keita, but Ahmat Abdaraman levelled just before half-time for Chad, who forced a 1-1 Group A draw in N’Djamena for their first point.

Guinea top the table with eight points from four matches, but Mali can overtake them by winning in Namibia Tuesday.

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AFCON 2021 QUALIFIERS: AYEW BRACE LIFTS GHANA OVER SUDAN AS UGANDA BEAT SOUTH SUDAN.

Andre Ayew marked his 91st match in Ghanaian colours, scoring a sensational brace as the Black Stars beat Sudan 2-0 at the Cape Coast Stadium on Thursday to retain their 100% form in the qualifiers for the 2021 Total Africa Cup of Nations.


Ayew scored his first with an expertly taken freekick in the opening half before adding his second in the 80th minute with a well taken shot from the edge of the box.

The victory sees Ghana move to nine points from the opening three games as they also kept their third successive clean sheet, their journey to Cameroon well in line. Sudan remain third with just three points.

The Ghanaians totally dominated the opening half, bossing 64% of the possession, but only had one goal to show for it. Ayew got the Black Stars ahead after 18 minutes in sizzling fashion, striking a brilliant freekick from the edge of the box that left Sudanese keeper Ali Abdalla dazed.

Though a scrappy start, Ghana always looked dangerous and three minutes before they were ahead, Ayew had a shot trickle wide with his brother Jordan racing into the box to try and throw a boot in.

Sudan’s forays into the Ghanaian final third were limited but had one fruitful one in the 24th minute when Mohamed Abdelrahman raced onto a through ball planted behind the defense, but his final shot hit the side netting.

Ghana should have been 2-0 up on the other end after 28 minutes, but Sudanese keeper Abdalla made a save with his trailing leg to deny Samuel Owusu who had broken into the box after a defense splitting through ball from Tarique Fosu.

Six minutes to the break, Jordan Ayew tried his luck with a shot from distance but it flew over the bar while at the stroke of halftime, his brother Andre thought he had doubled the lead when he headed home from an Owusu cross, but he was adjudged to have fouled a defender on the process.

Sudan came back better structured in the second half and moved the ball around the park better. They should have drawn level in the 58th minute but Abdelrahman’s diving header with only the keeper to beat off an Ahmed Hamid cross went agonizingly wide.

They kept possession, but couldn’t show anything for it. They were made to pay 10 minutes from time when Ayew took on an individual task, dribbling his way to good scoring range at the edge of the box, before unleashing a left footed belter.

Meanwhile in Kampala, hosts Uganda remained top of Group B after leaving it late to beat a resilient South Sudan by a solitary goal to move to seven points after three matches. The Cranes also kept their third clean sheet in a row.

Substitute Halid Lwaliwa bounced the winning header home with five minutes left on the clock after rising highest in a packed box to link up with a Karim Watambala freekick from the left.

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AFCON 2021 QUALIFIERS: EQUATORIAL GUINEA SCORES LATE TO BEAT LIBYA IN CAIRO.

Substitute Salomon Obama Ondo scored the winner at the death as Equatorial Guinea overturned a 2-1 deficit in added time to beat Libya 3-2 in a Group J Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier in Cairo on Wednesday.


The Mediterranean Knights looked set for a 2-1 win with 90 minutes gone on the clock, but the Equatoguineans showed admirable fighting spirit to score in quick succession and pick three points that take them level with Tanzania and the Libyans.

Libya had come from two goals down, scoring twice in four minutes in the second half but couldn’t finish the job.

Jose Antonio Miranda had given Equatorial Guinea the lead, with Libya levelling through Sanad Al Warfali’s penalty and debutant Mohamed Bettamer giving them the lead. But, in added time, Pedro Obiang and Obama Ondo scored in quick succession to turn the game around.

An exciting opening few minutes saw the post being hit on either end. Alsanousi Ammar hit the upright for the Libyans in the 21st minute with a low shot after an intelligent cutback from Moftah Taktak.

On the other end, the Equatoguineans also sounded the bar, this time Jose Machin Dicombo seeing his low shot from inside the box after being put through on goal rattle the post.

But the deadlock was broken after 33 minutes, Miranda striking a brilliant low shot into the net, setting himself up with the first touch and shooting with the second off Basilio Ndong’s pass.

In the second half, Libya came back a better outfit and were inspired to fight for the win.

They were level after 53 minutes when Sanad Al Warfali scored from the penalty spot after Amar was brought down inside the area by Equatorial Guinea goal scorer Miranda.

Four minutes later, they were 2-1 up when England born debutant Bettamer stretched to tap in unmarked at the back post after Mohamed Salih’s cross from the right took a wicked deflection to take the ball off keeper Ovono, Bettamer just guiding it home.

The Libyans were more confident and played with some determination after going ahead. They had a chance to stretch their tally in the 68th minute but Salih’s shot was blocked by the keeper.

Equatorial Guinea adopted a never say die attitude and Obiang’s belter of a shot from range made it 2-2 in the first minute of added time before Ondo buried home two minutes later with a strong shot from the right.

Group leaders Tunisia will meanwhile face Tanzania in the other fixture of the group and the Carthage Eagles will retain their position with victory over the Taifa Stars.