The Democratic Republic of Congo’s progress seems unstoppable. Maintaining their winning streak, the national team of the DRC has accumulated 12 points from four group-stage matches in the qualifiers. In their match against their closest rivals, Tanzania, the DRC struggled to score for a long time, but finally broke the deadlock in the 87th minute with Meschack Elia, who had come on in the last half hour and became the hero of the match. Tanzania was fighting hard for a draw, but Elia, who plays for Young Boys, struck again in stoppage time (90+3) to seal the victory. With this result, the DRC secured qualification and guaranteed the top spot in the group, making them one of the most successful teams in the tournament so far.
As for Tanzania, it is still too early to make conclusions. While the defeat dealt them a blow, they still hold hope for the tournament. Another team that faced heartbreak in the dying moments was Malawi. In their match against Senegal, Malawi put up a strong defensive performance and managed to hold onto a draw until the very last minute. However, Sadio Mané came through in the 90+6th minute to score the winning goal for Senegal. As a result, Malawi has been eliminated, while Senegal, along with Burkina Faso—who are tied on points—secured their place in the next round.
Today was not only a tragic day for Malawi, but South Sudan also experienced bad luck. After falling behind due to a goal by Denis Omedi of Uganda, they leveled the score in the 21st minute through Yohanna Juma. However, in the 66th minute, an own goal by Alfred Leku sealed the match at 1-2, leading to South Sudan’s elimination. Uganda, on the other hand, secured their advancement to the next round.
In the G group match, Zambia won 1-0 against Chad with Kennedy Musonda’s goal in the 70th minute. Although Chad earned a penalty in the final moments, goalkeeper Toaster Nsabata saved Marius Mouandilmajdi’s shot. This result opened up Zambia’s path significantly.
In another match, despite Lesotho’s goalkeeper Sekhone Moerane putting in a stellar performance with seven saves, Gabon managed to secure the victory. Shavy Warren Babicka found the net from a corner in the 55th minute, and in the 84th minute, Rody Junior Effaghe finished off a rebound from the goalkeeper to seal the win. On this day full of disappointments, the biggest letdown of the tournament might have been Ghana’s defeat to Sudan. Struggling to find goals, Ghana continued their poor form in this match. Sudan, however, triumphed 2-0 with a long-distance goal from Ahmed Hamed Mahmoud in the 63rd minute and a brilliant assist by Ahmed Yousif that Mohamed Abdelrahman finished in the 65th minute. This result was a huge blow for Ghana, while Sudan strengthened their position.
