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Equatorial Guinea secured their place in the highly anticipated TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire 2023, with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Tunisia on Saturday.
It was a disheartening evening for the African powerhouses as both Morocco and Tunisia succumbed to defeat, leaving South Africa and Equatorial Guinea celebrating their triumphs.
Equatorial Guinea 1-0 Tunisia
Goals: E. Nsue 85′ (Penalty)
Equatorial Guinea entered Saturday’s match requiring just a single point to secure their qualification for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023, joining Tunisia, who had already secured their place in the prestigious tournament.
The first half of the Group J game provided few scoring opportunities for both teams.
As the second half kicked off, spectators at the Malabo stadium witnessed a scrappy affair with only a handful of set pieces injecting some life into the proceedings.
One such moment came when Miranda’s strike for the Nzalang Nacional took a deflection, causing a brief surge of excitement.
In the 81st minute, Miranda was fouled by Kechrida, resulting in a penalty.
Equatorial Guinean captain Emilio Nsue stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick. The Central Africans exacted revenge following their 4-0 defeat in the first leg against Tunisia.
Meanwhile, in the other Group J game played on Saturday, Botswana defeated Libya 1-0 Francistown Stadium to give the home side their first win of the qualifying campaign.
Gape Mohutsiwa scored the only goal of the match on the stroke of half-time to help the Zebras fans jubilate their first victory of the qualifying group.
The victory helped Botswana to leapfrog their opponents and move to third in the group but both sides have no chance of qualifying for the competition to be held in Cote d’Ivoire.
South Africa 2-1 Morocco
Goals: Munir El Kajoui 5′ (Own Goal), Z. Lepasa 48′, H. Ziyech 60′
South Africa produced a captivating display to defeat Morocco 2-1 in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire 2023 qualifiers on Saturday.
The clash between these two qualified teams showcased the prowess of two African football giants. Playing in front of their home crowd, South Africa took control of the game from the outset.
The Moroccans, perhaps fatigued after a demanding season that saw them reach the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, struggled to impose their game against the resolute Bafana Bafana.
South Africa wasted no time asserting their dominance, as Percy Tau’s cross led to an unfortunate own goal by Munir El Kajoui, the Moroccan goalkeeper.
The second half began with South Africa maintaining their momentum, taking advantage of the Atlas Lions’ defensive vulnerability. Zakhele Lepasa capitalized on a defensive lapse to extend South Africa’s lead.
The FNB Stadium was abuzz with excitement, with CAF President Patrice Motsepe in attendance to witness this high-profile encounter.
However, the Atlas Lions refused to surrender. Hakim Ziyech showcased his brilliance by scoring a magnificent left-footed shot, sparking hope for Morocco’s comeback.
Yet, it proved insufficient as the North Africans suffered their first official defeat since their World Cup elimination.
Source:CAFonline