A sombre mood engulfs the South African camp, as they will play the final two fixtures of their qualification campaign without captain and leader Senzo Meyiwa. The former Orlando Pirates captain was brutally murdered in an armed robbery. He was the only goalkeeper on the continent to have not conceded a goal. Bafana Bafana can clinch qualification with a win at home against Sudan. They will be in hot water in case of slip up, needing a result against Nigeria in Uyo.
After splitting matches against Sudan, Nigeria fired and hired Stephen Keshi in a managerial hullaballoo that has become all too familiar for the African champions. The Super Eagles cannot afford another faux-pas. They must win in Congo and draw a positive result at home against a stringent South African side that has yet to concede a single goal.
Algeria is currently Africa’s in-form team. The Fennec Foxes have won all four of their qualifying matches, and have already qualified for the tournament proper. Christian Gourcuff has taken the opportunity to test new players, calling up debutants Mehdi Abeid, Baghdad Bounedjah, and Ibrahim Chenihi. The North Africans can cap off a perfect campaign with two more victories.
Mali felt incensed after losing at home to Ethiopia. The Malian Football Federation lodged a complaint to the Confederation of African Football complaining of refereeing decisions as they felt Ethiopia’s two goals should have been ruled illegal. They travel to Malawi where victory is imperative before hosting Africa’s top-ranked nation, Algeria, in Bamako.
Gabon has taken a firm hold on Group C after drawing Burkina Faso away, and beating the Black Stallions in Libreville. The Black Panthers have an impressive new strike partnership in attack. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Malick Evouna have been involved in all of Gabon’s goals in these qualifiers. They now host travel to Angola where a draw may clinch qualification.
Angola has fallen behind Gabon and Burkina Faso after drawing in Lesotho in October. However, the Palancas Negras could still qualify. Most media outlets have considered them favorites to host the African Cup of Nations, with Morocco pulling out. Nevertheless, to ensure qualification, they will need to defeat Burkina Faso at home, then find a result in Gabon, where Aubameyang and company are undefeated.
Ivory Coast possess the continent’s best offensive arsenal, but arguably the continent’s worst defense. Coach Herve Renard sought to solve the problem by discarding Sol Bamba, but they then conceded four goals at home to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Franck Kessie, a 17 year-old center-half was particularly poor, getting himself sent off. Renard seems to have reneged on placing his trust in youth, recalling Kolo Toure for Cote D’Ivoire’s final two matches against Sierra Leone and Cameroon. It remains to be seen if he can unlock the formula that will equilibrate his brilliant attack and porous defense.
Despite its 3-4 win in Abidjan, the Democratic Republic of Congo still has a way to go if it wants to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations. Florent Ibenge’s men will need to, at the very least, snatch a result away in Cameroon before beating Sierra Leone at home.
Togo was, perhaps, the team of matchdays 3 and 4. They defeated Uganda home and away, displaying a defensive solidity that had hitherto escaped them. Winning in Kampala is particularly impressive as it is a feat that away teams haven’t accomplished in nearly three decades. The Sparrow Hawks leapfrogged both Uganda and Guinea in the rankings, and are now favourites to qualify alongside Ghana.
Ghana now travels to Kampala knowing a draw could qualify them. It is quite remarkable that the Black Stars have played the majority of the qualification campaign without a head coach. Interim manager Maxwell Konadu has succeeded Kwesi Appiah and has guided Ghana to the top of Group E. His work is not finished though, as his defense must be wary of Ugandan young buck Yunus Sentamu and midfield general Tonny Mawejje, who could place themselves in a favorable position with a victory at home.
Cape Verde became Africa’s first team to qualify after defeating Mozambique with a solitary goal in Praia, where the Blue Sharks have been perfect. Sporting Club de Portugal forward Heldon scored the goal that sends this exciting team to its second-ever continental competition.
Zambia recovered from a poor start, picking up four of the last five points in the two previous match days. They travel to Mozambique in a crunch match where both sides are on five points. The victor will greatly increase chances of qualification.
Tunisia is a draw away from qualification that would cap a remarkable turnaround. Just 12 months ago the Carthage Eagles were spanked 4-1 in Cameroon and looked utterly hopeless. Bringing in Georges Leekens was the major turnaround as he solidified this Tunisia team. They are now a cohesive, defensive unit that can grind out results. Leekens and company travel to Botswana where they’ll play with five defenders and look to secure another pragmatic result needed to qualify.
Egypt needed six points from their two fixtures against Botswana and that is exactly what the Pharaoahs managed. The Botswana doubleheader performances might not have been the most convincing, but the two wins give Egypt a fighting chance when they host Senegal. The Teranga Lions will know that a win away in Cairo will secure qualification, so this fixture will be key.
