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The semi-finals fixtures of the Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations Mozambique 2022 which runs until 28 October at the newly built Arena Vilankulo, are already known.
Senegal will face Mozambique while Morocco lock horns with Egypt to confirm the two AFCON finalists and above all the two African representatives in the Beach Soccer World Cup next year.
By a twist of fate, the intersection of games suggested by the matrix that regulates the competition puts teams that know each other very well and with a history of rivalry in this competition.
In fact, Morocco will meet Egypt at 2:00pm (local time), while hosts Mozambique will face defending champions Senegal at 3:30pm (local time) in a repeat of the 2021 final, in which Senegal’s Teranga Lions beat Mozambique 4-1.
It will also be a moment for the last runners-up (Mozambique) to settle the score with the defending champions, especially since, playing at home, Abineiro Ussaca’s men can count on the unconditional support of their fans.
Mozambique have already faced Senegal in 2022 and lost by 5-4 in COSAFA 2022 Cup, which took place in Durban, South Africa, in September. However, there are plenty of reasons to predict that this duel will be a kind of early final at Vilankulo Arena.
” Mozambique is a very good team and they will play in front of their people here, they are going to get a lot of support for the Mozambicans “, said Senegal head coach Mamadou Diallo.
However, the Mozambican coach does not want to leave his credits in the hands of others and is confident in a victory.
“Our goal is to reach the final. The watchword is to win the game and we will do everything to win the match. Senegal are the best team in Africa. They have been African champions for three consecutive years and have taken part in five World Cups, but we also have our say.”
Egypt-Morocco: two North African heavyweights
On the other hand, the first semi-final is made up of two North African giants. Indeed, they are two opponents who have crossed paths in various engagements for some time.
The Pharaohs had a tough go of it in qualifying for the semi-finals as they finished the group stage with four points. They only gained one point after beating Madagascar on penalty kicks (4-3) following a four-all draw, and last Monday they beat Uganda 6-2.
In Group A, Morocco and Mozambique qualified. The Moroccans beat Mozambique (3-1) and Malawi (7-3) to finish the group with six points, while the hosts finished second with three points after beating Malawi (4-2). It is to be recalled that Group A was reduced to three participants due to the withdrawal of Nigeria.
In Group B, Senegal finished the first phase with 9 points after beating Uganda (10-1), Egypt (6-4) and Madagascar (8-4).
Source:CAFonline