SENEGAL coach Aliou Cisse rejoined his squad on Saturday after spending a night under observation in hospital in Ivory Coast, where the Lions of Teranga are defending their Africa Cup of Nations title, the country’s football federation announced. Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) president Augustin Senghor said Cisse had suffered from “a small gastric infection” on Thursday that “left him a bit tired”. Despite that, Cisse was on the touchline for Senegal’s 3-1 win over Cameroon in Yamoussoukro which allowed them to secure qualification for the last 16. “He was a bit weakened, and the doctors preferred to take him to…
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HAMZA Rafia’s first-half strike gave 2004 champions Tunisia their first point at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations courtesy of a draw against Mali. Midfielder Rafia arrived first to send Ali Abdi’s cross squirming in via goalkeeper Djigui Diarra’s body. Mali had gone ahead through Lassine Sinayoko’s drilled opener and are on the brink of reaching the last 16. Kamory Doumbia almost restored the Eagles’ lead six minutes after the break, stabbing a shot narrowly wide.
GELSON Dala scored twice as Angola beat Mauritania to close in on the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations. Forward Dala reacted smartly to the rebound from a corner to put his side ahead, firing a shot against the turf and into the roof of the net. Sidi Amar levelled for the Lions of Chinguetti with a dazzling run and finish two minutes before half-time. Dala and Gilberto both struck to make it 3-1 before Aboubakary Koita’s spectacular consolation for Mauritania. More details shortly…
BAGHDAD Bounedjah’s equaliser deep into injury-time secured a draw for Algeria, denying Burkina Faso a second straight victory in the African Cup of Nations. It appeared Bertrand Traore’s second-half penalty had Algeria in real danger of a first-round exit from the tournament until the dramatic ending when Adam Ounas set up Bounedjah to score his second of the match. Algeria came into the match the favourites and had more of the play, but Burkina Faso looked dangerous on the break throughout and would not have been flattered by victory. The opening goal came just before half time and it was…
SUPER Eagles forwards, Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze, have both stressed that the team will not underestimate their next opponent, Guinea Bissau, when the two sides meet in their last Group A game of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. Nigeria will face Guinea-Bissau in their third Group A of the AFCON on Monday at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny in Abidjan. Following a lackluster 1-1 draw in their opening match against Equatorial Guinea last Sunday, Jose Peseiro’s men displayed resilience and determination, clinching a crucial win against the Ivory Coast in their second group game on…
GUINEA beat The Gambia 1-0 to move to the brink of a place in the round of 16 at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Aguibou Camara scored the second-half winner, stabbing in Morgan Guilavogui’s pass to lift Kaba Diawara’s side up to second in Group C after two games. Mohamed Bayo almost doubled the lead, lifting a shot against the crossbar from Guilavogui’s low cross. Yankuba Minteh thought he had levelled for the Scorpions with 10 minutes left, but the offside flag was up.
DEFENDING champions Senegal booked their place in the last 16 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with a 3-1 win over Cameroon in Group C. Ismaila Sarr put Senegal in front in the 16th minute and Habib Diallo made it 2-0 midway through the second half. Jean-Charles Castelletto headed in to pull one back with seven minutes remaining to set up a nervy ending. But, after George-Kevin Nkoudou had missed a free header to equalise, Sadio Mane sealed the win in stoppage time. Cameroon, five-time continental champions, have one point after two games and will most likely need to…
CAPTAIN William Troost-Ekong slotted home the match winner from the spot in the 55th minute as the Super Eagles put their AFCON 2023 campaign back on track with a 1-0 win over hosts Ivory Coast at Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, on Thursday. Amid the celebrations from their pocket of fans in Abidjan and those back home, Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen, who was fouled inside the Ivorian box for the penalty, said they had a game plan that they perfectly executed against the hosts. “This game against Ivory Coast was a big statement game for us, we needed to win and…
EGYPT fought back twice to draw 2-2 with Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations after a lively second half in Abidjan. Mohammed Kudus blasted in to put Ghana ahead in first-half stoppage time, a minute after Pharaohs captain Mohamed Salah was forced off through injury. Omar Marmoush levelled but Kudus quickly restored the lead for the Black Stars with a deflected effort. However, Mostafa Mohamed stabbed in to give Egypt their second point and leave Ghana winless after two Group B games. The West Africans lost their opening game against Cape Verde and the four-time continental champions are on…
NIGERIA leapfrog the Elephants to go second in Group A and are behind leaders Equatorial Guinea, who beat Guinea-Bissau 4-2 earlier on Thursday, on head-to-head record. The Ivorians have three points after two games and will now need to beat Equatorial Guinea on Monday (17:00 GMT) to guarantee progress to the knockout stage. Nigeria – whose four points could already be enough to see the three-time winners through – face Guinea-Bissau (17:00 GMT) in their final Group A fixture. The newly-built Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan has now hosted four games in this Nations Cup with several more, including the…
EMILIO Nsue scored a hat-trick as Equatorial Guinea closed in on the knockout stages of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations by thrashing Guinea-Bissau. Nsue slotted in the first-half opener and struck twice after the break for the first Afcon treble since 2008. Esteban Orozco’s own goal sent the sides in level at half-time but Josete Miranda’s strike restored Equatorial Guinea’s lead early in the second half. Ze Turbo netted a consolation for Guinea-Bissau in stoppage time. The result sends Equatorial Guinea top of Group A on four points before hosts Ivory Coast face Nigeria (17:00 GMT) and puts Juan…
SUPER Eagles coach Jose Peseiro insists he will stick to his previous game plan as his side battle hosts Ivory Coast in their second Group A game of the 2023 AFCON on Thursday (today) at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan. Today’s meeting will be the ninth between the Super Eagles and the Elephants at the AFCON, with both sides winning thrice respectively, while the other two encounters ended in stalemate. Having failed to win their first game of the tournament against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday, which ended 1-1, Peseiro’s men need a positive result against the Ivorians – who won…
ZAMBIA and DR Congo drew 1-1 as the opening round of group games at the Africa Cup of Nations came to a close. Against the run of play, Kings Kangwa made the most of a defensive mix-up to put Zambia ahead in the 23rd minute. Just four minutes later, the Leopards were level in the Group F match thanks to a close-range equaliser from Brentford forward Yoane Wissa. DR Congo were awarded a second-half penalty for handball, but the decision was overturned after a video review. Earlier in Group F, Morocco proved their credentials as pre-tournament favourites, opening with a…
PRE-TOURNAMENT favourites Morocco began their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a convincing win over 10-man Tanzania in Group F. The Atlas Lions took the lead on the half hour when Romain Saiss pounced after Hakim Ziyech’s swerving free-kick was palmed back into danger. Tanzania had Novatus Miroshi sent off with 20 minutes left and Azzedine Ounahi’s slick finish doubled the lead. Youssef En-Nesyri converted Achraf Hakimi’s cross to round off victory. Morocco won their sole continental title in 1976 but are firmly among the expected challengers for the trophy in Ivory Coast following their historic run to the…
VICTOR Osimhen won the Serie A title with Napoli last season and ended 2023 by being named African footballer of the year, but the striker reckons lifting the Cup of Nations with Nigeria might just top the lot. “It would be one of the best moments of my life,” the 25-year-old told AFP in Abidjan, where the Super Eagles are preparing to face hosts Ivory Coast in their second group game at this edition of the AFCON on Thursday. “I have done that with Napoli, I have made history, but no matter what I do, no matter how many goals…
THE controversy surrounding the exit of Real Sociedad striker, Umar Sadiq, from the Super Eagles squad at the ongoing AFCON in Ivory Coast took a new turn on Tuesday after his club listed him for their Copa Del Rey clash against Osasuna on Wednesday (today). Sadiq reportedly picked up a knee injury during the pre-AFCON friendly against Guinea in Abu Dhabi and was subsequently replaced by Paul Onuachu in the Nigerian squad. After being ruled out of the tournament by the national team’s doctors last week, the player was back in Spain on Saturday and took part in some cone…
HAMARI Traore and Lassine Sinayoko struck as Mali beat South Africa in their Africa Cup of Nations opener. Percy Tau sent a penalty over the bar for Bafana Bafana in a first half characterised by missed chances. The pattern continued until Traore tapped in the rebound after Sekou Koita’s free-kick hit the woodwork. Sinayoko seized on Kamory Doumbia’s pass to rifle the second from inside the box six minutes later and seal victory for the 1972 finalists.’ The result at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo means Mali have won all three Afcon games they have played against South…
NAMIBIA produced a huge upset as Deon Hotto’s 88th-minute header secured victory over one of the tournament favourites, Tunisia in their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations opener. The Brave Warriors – ranked 115th in the world and without a victory in any of their previous nine Afcon matches – were worthy winners in Korhogo. Striker Peter Shalulile had an earlier effort cleared off the line but Hotto pounced from Bethuel Muzeu’s cross. 2004 champions Tunisia are 87 places above Namibia in Fifa’s standings. More details shortly…
BERTRAND Traore scored a 96th-minute penalty to see Burkina Faso narrowly beat Mauritania in their Africa Cup of Nations opener in Group D. Substitute Traore sent Mauritania keeper Babacar Niasse the wrong way from the spot after Nouh Mohamed El Abd fouled Issa Kabore in the penalty area. Mauritania had been minutes away from just a third ever point at Afcon. Burkina Faso have reached the semi-finals at three of the past five Afcons but were far from their best in Bouake. Burkina Faso had looked set to follow favourites Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Algeria in failing to win…
THE Super Eagles medical team has come under severe criticisms following the exclusion of Umar Sadiq from the team three days before the start of the African Cup of Nations. Sadiq was replaced by Paul Onuachu after the Eagles team doctor reportedly claimed the Real Sociedad striker suffered a thigh injury in the team’s 2-0 loss to Guinea in a pre-tournament friendly in Abu Dhabi last week. The 28-year-old left the Eagles camp for Spanish club Real Sociedad on Saturday and on Monday Sociedad posted a video of the Nigerian striker undergoing recovery training. In the 108-second video titled ‘Sadiq…