In the race to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023), Guinea secured their spot without even playing a match on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Mauritania greatly enhanced its chances by securing a decisive victory over Sudan.
A goalless draw between Ethiopia and Malawi in Maputo eliminated both teams from contention, opening the way for Guinea to join Egypt as qualifiers from Group D for the 24-team finals in Ivory Coast, starting from January 13.
In the tightly contested Group I, underdogs Mauritania rose from last to the first position by emphatically defeating Sudan 3-0. Centre-backs Nouh el Abd and Hassan Houbeib, along with Hemeya Tanjy, all found the back of the net to secure the vital victory.
Group C also remains wide open as Burundi shocked previously unbeaten Namibia by scoring three goals within 19 minutes. Although Namibia fought back with two goals of their own, Burundi held on for a hard-fought 3-2 victory.
With Guinea’s AFCON qualification, they become the 15th team to secure their place in the tournament, joining Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia.
The remaining nine spots for the biennial AFCON showpiece will be determined during the sixth and final matchday, scheduled from September 4 to 12.
Due to the civil war in Sudan, the Sudanese were forced to host their AFCON home qualifier fixture against Mauritania in the southern Moroccan coastal city of Agadir. The Sudanese team expressed their desire to win and top the group as a means of bringing joy and relief to their people, even if only for a few days.
During the match, Sudan fell behind when El Abd scored in the middle of the first half. Early goals in the second half from Houbeib and Tanjy sealed Sudan’s fate, leading to a convincing 3-0 victory for Mauritania.
With eight points, Mauritania currently leads Group I, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon with seven points each, and Sudan with six points before the final round of matches.
Mauritania will have the advantage of playing at home against Gabon as they aim for their third consecutive appearance in the AFCON finals. Two-time champions DR Congo also have a favorable chance of qualifying since Sudan will have to visit the central African nation.
In another group, Burundi, a team not known for scoring many goals, took an early 55-second lead over Namibia in Dar es Salaam thanks to Abedi Bigirimana. Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana and Hussein Shabani added goals for Burundi, and Namibia’s captain Peter Shalulile scored just before halftime.
The match intensified as substitute Wendell Rudath scored a second goal for Namibia with only five minutes remaining in regular time. Although Namibia still tops the group with five points, they have completed their schedule, while Cameroon and Burundi, both level on four points, will face each other in September to determine the final outcome.