The continent has vibrated last weekend to the rhythm of the second round of qualifying for the TotalEnergies U23 AFCON, Morocco 2023. A round that saw the elimination of major teams such as Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire and Algeria.
Dominated in Brazzaville a week ago 1-0, Tunisia recovered well at home leading 2-0. But Congo scored a goal in the final moments that changed the game. The equation was also complicated for Algeria, slapped 1-4 in Kinshasa. The Desert Foxes almost made up the deficit 3-1, but are still on the sidelines. Côte d’Ivoire were also disillusioned at home as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Niger, who now have a ticket.
Elsewhere, Mali made the difference in Bamako against Rwanda (1-0); the same for Gabon who beat Madagascar (4-0). South Africa qualified thanks to away goals (2-2 in Lome). In Johannesburg on Sunday, Togo could not score a single goal (0-0).
Benin won 3-1 against Sudan in Cotonou but the Nile Crocodiles had won 2-0 in Khartoum a week earlier. Ghana, who had already won 2-0 in Maputo, did it again against Mozambique this time in Kumasi. Cameroon did the job in Yaoundé against Angola, as did Zambia and Nigeria against Sierra Leone and Tanzania respectively.
Finally, Senegal had to go through the penalty shootout to overcome Burkina Faso (0-0 after the two games). Egypt won 1-0 against Eswatini, enough to go through to the next round.
Great clashes in the third round
In the next round, some great matches await African football fans. To qualify for the final phase in Morocco, Niger will face Sudan, while Congo will face South Africa. West African duels between Senegal and Mali while Nigeria will face Guinea, exempt from the previous round due to the withdrawal of Uganda.
For their part, Egypt will face Zambia, the DR Congo against Ghana. Finally, a Central African duel between Gabon and Cameroon.
This third round of the TotalEnergies U23 AFCON qualifiers will be played in March next year. Seven countries will qualify for the final phase of the competition scheduled to take place in Morocco at the end of 2023.
Second round results
South Africa (2-2, 0-0) Togo
Tunisia (0-1, 2-1) Congo
Algeria (3-1, 1-4) Congo DR
Benin (3-1, 0-2) Sudan
Ghana (2-0, 2-0) Mozambique
Gabon (1-0, 4-0) Madagascar
Senegal (0-0, 5-3 tab, 0-0) Burkina Faso
Ivory Coast (0-0, 1-1) Niger
Zambia (1-0, 1-1) Sierra Leone
Egypt (1-0, 0-0) Eswatini
Mali (1-0, 1-1) Rwanda
Nigeria (2-0, 1-1) Tanzania
Cameroon (3-2, 0-0) Angola
Third round Fixtures
Niger – Sudan
Nigeria – Guinea
Egypt – Zambia
South Africa – Congo
Congo DR – Ghana
Senegal – Mali
Gabon – Cameroon
Source: Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF)