September 7 to 19, 2020 Global Futbol Matches (African Nations League)

The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments taking place in 2020.

September 7 to 19, 2020 (African Nations League)

 

The African Nations League kicked off this fortnight.

 

League A

In League A, Nicolas Pépé and Mehdi Abeid both scored for Côte d’Ivoire and Algeria respectively in their opening battle. The Ivoirians had all the play for the first 70 minutes, including a penalty spot nailed by Pépé in the first half. After the break, Max Gradel should have scored, only to hit the post. Instead, Algeria caught the hosts napping as Abeid equalised when he brought the ball down in the box with his chest, measured his kick and hit the back of the net. From there, Côte d’Ivoire were unable to gain back their lead, and started their campaign with a draw.

 

Algeria improved in their play for the home game against Guinea, but they failed to score as Aboubacar Demba Camara headed home the winner in the 37th minute. Abeid and Sofiane Feghouli both had chances to equalise, only to have the Guinean goalkeeper make saves to both his right and left. In the end, the Guineans held on for an away victory.

 

In Group A2, Egypt showed they did not need Mohamed Salah as they scored four goals past Chad in their opening Nations League game. Mohamed El Neny headed for goal in the fifth minute after two corners built up too much pressure for the Chadian defence. Trezeguet then chipped the goalkeeper ten minutes later. However, Chad rebounded with a header goal from Marius Mouandilmadji, giving them a lifeline. Egypt responded after the break with complete dominance across the park, and defender Ahmed El Mohamady caught a ball from outside the box after a corner to make it 3-1. Substitute Ahmed Tawfik then collected a fourth with a brilliant left footer in the 89th minute.

 

Chad flew home to face Togo and save some face after the loss to Egypt. They looked smart in their attacking and were able to keep Togo away from goal. Then, right on the hour mark, right back Constant Madtoingue scored with his left foot after plenty of attacking play. Four minutes later, Mouandilmadji backed up with another header, this time from a corner, as Chad defeated Togo 2-0 in a lovely display.

 

In Group A3, Cameroon had a hard first half-hour against Libya as the visitors’ defence denied Cameroon any decent shots on goal. That all changed when Karl Toko Ekambi scored, firing into the roof of the net and not giving the Libyan goalkeeper any time to react and save the ball. Vincent Aboubakar then doubled the lead after the break, shooting along the ground against the right-hand post and over the line. Ekambi had a brace in the 71st minute, also shooting from a similar distance to his captain, giving Libya a 3-0 trouncing.

 

To bounce back, Libya sought a win as they hosted South Africa. In spite of early shots on target, Libya failed to score. At the other end, the defence did not allow one shot on target in a rather dull match that petered out to a scoreless draw.

 

Ghana were also held to a scoreless draw in Group A4, even though they had chances early and late in the match. Offsides aplenty kept the Ghanaians away from goal early, and Jordan Ayew should have scored late with his head or by chipping the goalkeeper, but that came to nought. Similarly, substitute Joseph Aidoo had the last opportunity, only to miss to the left of goal. In the end, it was Benin who felt they had succeeded the most in the match.

 

Benin then hosted Tunisia, keeping their 3-4-3 formation as against Ghana. Though the home side started well, it was Tunisia who first scored via the head of Ellyes Skhiri. Anis Slimane should have doubled the lead, only to miss the penalty so over the top and so wide that it was almost comical for every player on the field. Benin worked hard in the second half and equalised via Cedric Hountondji’s head, even though Dylan Bronn did get purchase on the ball. Sheer momentum sent him and the ball over the line. Some would argue it was an own goal, though Hountondji deserved the accolades due to the brilliant header. In the end, Benin could not gain a winning goal and the match ended 1-1.

 

League B

In Group B1, Kenya started in ideal fashion with a 2-0 victory at home to Malawi. Masoud Juma, the Kenyan striker, scored both goals early in each half. Juma took control of the ball in the third minute and powered the ball from inside the 18-yard box. His second goal was a lovely chip over the Malawian goalkeeper. The visitors had no answer to Kenya, as the match became a pattern of Malawi losing the ball in midfield, before Kenya would drive forward and lose the ball close to goal. Only the two goals were the abnormal aspects of the game.

 

Malawi needed to turn things around against Burkina Faso. The first half was played mostly in the middle of the park, though both sides managed to get shots on target. In the second half, Malawi pounced on a through ball as Yamikani Chester outran his opponent that originally kept him onside, before cutting the ball into the goal with his right foot. Substitute Rafik Namwera should have doubled the lead as he, in similar fashion, found himself behind the Burkina Faso defensive line. However, he tried chipping the goalkeeper and ended up making a meal of the shot. Still, Chester’s goal ensured victory.

 

Group B2’s Morocco hosted Angola in a match that ended in a scoreless draw. Both sides only had one shot on target in the first half. The second half saw Morocco dominate in attack, only for poor shots to be the flavour of the 45 minutes, and not be able to purchase a winning goal.

 

Morocco then flew to the Democratic Republic of Congo to resurrect their efforts. That came about with two late goals by Aymen Barkok and substitute Zakaria Aboukhlal, who both rang rings around the Congolese defence and curled the ball with their left foot. Earlier, Congo DR had the upper hand, but, like Morocco in their first match, were wayward, and the Moroccan goalkeeper ensured no ball flew past him.

 

Group B3 saw the rivalry of Mali and Sudan play out again as it had in the AFCON 2020 earlier this year. Mali had all the play up forward, but a 31st-minute shot from the longest of ranges by defender Amir Kamal Suliman gave Sudan the only goal for the game. At the other end, the Sudanese goalkeeper, Ali Abu Eshrein, made eleven saves and kept the Malians at bay, earning Player of the Match status.

 

Sudan then hosted Senegal, where the Senegalese looked dangerous early, only for their defence to be split apart on a fast counterattack and Mohamed Abdel Rahman to open the scoring for the Sudanese. The visitors quickly replied via Ismaila Sarr. Neither side could grasp hold of the match until finally, in the 83rd minute, defender Chiekhou Kouyaté caught first onto a free kick that thudded off the crossbar, sending the ball into the back of the net. Sudanese substitute Waleed Bakhet Hamid had other plans for the match as he scored in additional time, sending the home crowd wild with the prospects of coming away with the draw. However, his counterpart substitute, Sada Thioub, chested down a long ball as he ran away from his marker and snagged the winner for Senegal, making it 3-2.

 

Five goals also started Group B4’s campaign between Gabon and Nigeria. The visitors took control early as they found a weakness in the left-hand side of the Gabonese defence, with Oghenekaro Etebo opening the scoring. However, Gabon worked back into the match, and scored twice via Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s head and Guelor Kanga’s right foot. With 29 minutes remaining, Nigeria ramped up a gear, scoring via Samuel Chukwueze as he chested down a ball and hit home. Etebo gained a brace minutes from the end of play, though he needed two attempts to gift Nigeria the three points, winning 3-2.

 

Nigeria then gained their second win with a single-goal win over Uganda. Nigeria dominated across the park, though Uganda held their own for small periods of the match. Eventually, Etebo stepped up, scoring his third goal in two games, with a brilliant run and shot with his left in the 74th minute. From there, Nigeria held on for the victory.

 

League C

In Group C1, Niger’s midfielder Ousmane Diabate scored a brace to set up their win over the Central African Republic. Diabate first scored early in the piece with his head after a long ball out wide to the wing was returned quickly into the box. His second came after an initial shot was blocked and the ball fell to him, pocketing the brace. Niger dominated and kept the ball in their attacking half for most of the first period, pressuring nearly as much in the second. Boubacar Hainikoye Soumana capped off a brilliant start to Niger’s Nations League campaign when a through ball bypassed the defender’s legs and the striker hit it first time.

 

The Central African Republic returned home to tackle Namibia. When the hosts relinquished a goal early to Absalom Limbondi, in spite of their best efforts, it seemed the result would go to the Namibians. However, in the second half, the Central African Republic side worked back into the game and Saint-Fort Dimokoyen worked a one-two with his right-hand man Ngam Ngam Saint Cyr to free himself in the box and slide the ball beyond the goalkeeper. The hosts should have scored a winning goal, only for the post to deny and key misses to pay out the final minutes.

 

Group C2’s Equatorial Guinea won away to Zambia in a scrappy affair that saw no shots on goal in the entire first half. In the second period, little changed, though substitute Mohamed Makari managed to curl one home thirteen minutes from time. Zambia had two chances to score that flew either side of the goal, and never really looked in the match as the visitors started with three points on the board.

 

Mauritius and Mozambique played out a scoreless draw. Both sides had chances in the first half, but it was Mauritius who created them all in the second. Kévin Perticot came closest as he hit the woodwork. Instead, Mozambique came away, content with the draw.

 

Six days later, Mozambique then set about overcoming Zambia at home and started off in brilliant fashion with two early goals from Stanley Ratifo. His first was when the Zambian goalkeeper parried the ball straight to him, while the second was a backheel pass from his teammate and shot along the ground. Zambia gained a goal back with Benson Sakala’s two attempts before his header made the ball cross the line right before halftime. However, Luís Miquissone immediately responded from just outside the box. Sakala gained his second right on the hour mark, setting up a tense last thirty minutes. Ratifo ensured the match was Mozambique’s with his hat trick goal. Zambia’s Enock Mwepu did score his side’s third, though it was too late as Mozambique gained the three points necessary.

 

In the match between Equatorial Guinea and Mauritius, Salomon Obama scored with his head after Nsue’s initial shot was saved. The hosts attacked without relent, causing constant turnovers until Mauritius were able to hold their own in tackles. Though it seemed Equatorial Guinea would come away winners, Perticot levelled the match for the visitors. From there, both sides had chances to win the game, but as the final whistle beckoned, Mauritius held firm in defence to gain a vital away draw.

 

Group C3’s Cape Verde Islands started their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Tanzania. Lisandro Semedo scored a header goal in the second minute, starting a first half where the hosts peppered the goals. Fortunately for Tanzania, the margin remained one goal. Finally, on his third shot on target, Nuno Borges scored for the hosts, providing the buffer they needed to safely see out the match.

 

São Tomé and Príncipe opened their Nations League campaign away to the Congo with the greatest of starts; Joel Neves scored first for the visitors with a cool dribble and shoot. However, the home side came from behind to win the match, with Silvere Ganvoula and substitute Bel Durel Avounou netting to gain the first three points.

 

Neves scored the opening goal again for São Tomé and Príncipe, winning the ball off the Cape Verde goalkeeper late in the first half and almost walking into the free goal. Harramiz Soares doubled the lead a few minutes later with a choice right-footer. However, the Cape Verde Islanders were not perturbed, and worked the ball around in the second half. They were unable to score, in spite of four separate shots on goal. Finally, substitute Djaniny lifted their hopes with his head, before Jamiro Monteiro scored in similar fashion to Soares with only seconds left of regulation time. São Tomé fought for a late winner, but the match ended 2-2.

 

Tanzania then defeated the Congo in a high-pressured first half, with John Bocco scoring a great solo goal from just outside the box in the 26th minute. After the break, the Congo could not turn their momentum and pressure into a goal, with three key missed opportunities to score. In the end, the Tanzanians hung on for dear life, and gained their first three points of the campaign.

 

In Group C4, Rwanda gained three points with their 1-0 win over Madagascar. The Rwandans pressured in their forward half, which eventually culminated in a Jacques Tuyisenge goal when the ball fell to his feet on the edge of the box. Rwanda hit the woodwork twice in the second half searching for their second goal, only it eluded them. As for Madagascar, they did have chances to equalise, but were poor in front of goal.

 

Botswana should have won their home game against Burundi, particularly when Burundi had to play for just over a half without their attacker Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana after he was shown a straight red card for a vicious foul. Instead, Botswana struggled in front of goal, and only hit the woodwork in the final minute. The game ended as a scoreless draw and with a modicum of injuries.

 

Burundi became the ten-player specialist side as Saidi Ntibazonkiza also gained a red card in the fifteenth minute after having already received a yellow card for a tackle near the baseline. In between the cards, Gael Bigirimana stepped up and scored with his left foot, giving Burundi the edge over Rwanda. Even though they had lost a striker, Burundi kept attacking down the wings, with Bigirimana again scoring with his left, this time somehow sneaking the ball between the right-hand post and the goalkeeper. Rwanda pegged back a goal via Olivier Niyonzima’s volley. However, Bigirimana was in the wars as he also received a yellow card and then pulled his hamstring at the end after some high-quality defending at the death. When the final whistle blew, the 2-1 scoreline showed Burundi, in spite of the multiple injuries sustained across the two games and the red cards, are a force to be reckoned with in League C.

 

Madagascar and Botswana, meanwhile, played out a scoreless draw, the same as Botswana’s first match; the game played at a frenetic pace with plenty of toing and froing. Madagascar had the better chances in the first half, including hitting the woodwork as they peppered down the right wing. However, Botswana held firm and came away with another point.

 

League D

In Group D1, Liberia started their campaign against the Seychelles with a 3-0 victory. Sam Johnson and Player of the Match Oscar Dorley both scored in the first half; Johnson with a deft touch and Dorley with a brilliant through ball and power shot that the Seychelles goalkeeper had no chance of saving. Dominating the first half with 64% possession, Liberia continued to run rings around the Seychelles player. Substitute Sylvanus Nimely chipped in the second half to make it three goals.

 

Looking to bounce back, the Seychelles hosted Djibouti. However, Djibouti’s defence were able to hold firm. The best chance for the Seychelles came in the fifth minute when Gervais Waye-Hive chipped the goalkeeper, only for the ball to sail over the bar. Two more missed shots told the story of the first half, followed by only one shot on target in the second half, with a long-range volley too easy for the Djibouti goalkeeper.

 

In Group D2, the Gambia had a hard slog in the midfield against South Sudan, unable to produce effective advances into the final third. Eventually, the Gambia started to get on top of the game, and substitute (for a substitute) Kalifa Manneh worked his way into a position to score with a half volley. Manneh nearly scored a second, though the one goal was enough for the Gambia to come away with the three points.

 

Guinea-Bissau started Match Day 1 on the back foot against Mauritania after giving away an early penalty, easily slotted by Ismael Diakite. The hosts did work back into the match, only for defensive blocks to keep their shots away from goal. Eventually, Joseph Mendes did score with his head, rising above two defenders to meet the cross from the right wing. However, in spite of having the advantage across much of the game, Guinea-Bissau had offsides, goalkeeping saves and easy misses that denied them a second goal. The game ended 1-1.

 

Six days later, Mauritania then hosted the Gambia, and scored via Abdallahi Mahmoud in the tenth minute, with a lovely back heel finding him as he rushed up and shot for goal. Brave defending by the Gambians kept the Mauritanians away from the net, and despite several chances down both ends, the match remained 1-0.

 

South Sudan surprised Guinea-Bissau with a solid 4-0 victory at home. Allan Okello opened the scoring in the second minute, though from there, neither side really had a true grasp on the match. Once Abdul Karim Watambala scored on the hour mark, South Sudan took complete control of the game. Substitute Abdallah Asad Musa caught a header and fired it home, before Luwagga Kizito capped off in additional time with the goal of the match, firing from outside the box hard and low and into the back of the net.

 

In Group D3, eSwatini and Sierra Leone played out a scoreless draw as the visitors looked to have the upper hand early. However, much of the rest of the match was played in the midfield, with neither side gaining the edge. eSwatini had chances late to hit the winner home, but the defence of Sierra Leone held firm.

 

At the same time, Eritrea hosted Somalia, gaining a 1-0 victory thanks to a tenth-minute goal by midfielder Ablelom Teklezghi. Somalia looked set to score first, but it was the home side that gained the upper hand. From there, the Eritreans were able to hold on to the win and gain three opening points.

 

Somalia, meanwhile, hoped to gain their first three points when they hosted eSwatini the following week, and both sides had early chances. However, Somalia’s efforts were on target, and soon they had a goal right before the break via Ahmed Ali Mahamud. Somalia should have doubled their lead, only for the ball to not make its way into the net. Then, three minutes from the end, eSwatini’s substitute striker Bonginkosi Dlamini found a header on target, and the match ended 1-1.

 

Sierra Leone hosted Eritrea in the hopes of winning and winning by a solid margin. In spite of all the efforts, it took until the 60th minute for the home side to score, as Rodney Strasser’s shot took a deflection and found the back of the net. Substitute striker Alhassan Koroma then doubled the lead thirteen minutes later with a brilliant header out of reach of the Eritrean goalkeeper. Koroma should have scored more, only wayward shots kept the score at 2-0, but Sierra Leone are in the box seat so far to take Group D3.

 

Group D4’s Zimbabwe saw off a strong Lesotho side with a 1-0 victory. Knowledge Musona scored right before the break after Zimbabwe struggled to get beyond the Lesotho defence. His header changed the match, with Lesotho having to press forward to try and gain an equaliser. This time, Zimbabwe’s defence held firm, thus helping their side start with three points in their first Nations League game.

 

A topsy-turvy game took place between Ethiopia and the Comoros. Ethiopia scored twice in the first half via Getaneh Kebede and Amanuel Gebremichael and looked set to win three points with relative ease. Then, in the 65th and 69th minutes, the visitors evened the match via Ibroihim Youssouf and substitute Ali M’Madi respectively. Ethiopia spun back into gear and both Kebede and Gebremichael had chances to win the match, only to miss the mark. Then, Kebede scored twice more in additional time, first by chipping the goalkeeper, then by running down the left wing and shooting with too much force for anyone to handle. The score: 4-2.

 

The Comorians, a little shocked, then flew home to tackle the likes of Zimbabwe. There they missed key chances as Zimbabwe simply played in defence and never really looked like scoring from the counterattack. In the end, the match ended in a draw, and the home side must find a better way to goal to have any chance of lifting out of League D.

 

As for Lesotho, they hit the woodwork twice in each half against Ethiopia, only to fail to score. Instead, Ethiopia were far more accurate and Gebremichael scored for the visitors, giving them the best start possible on the race to reach League C.

 

September 9 Nations League 2020/21 Match Day 1 Africa League A · Côte d’Ivoire 1 Algeria 1 · Egypt 4 Chad 1 · Cameroon 3 Libya 0 · Ghana 0 Benin 0

September 10 Nations League 2020/21 Match Day 1 Africa League B · Kenya 2 Malawi 0 · Morocco 0 Angola 0 · Mali 0 Sudan 1 · Gabon 2 Nigeria 3 Africa League C · Niger 3 Central African Republic 0 · Zambia 0 Equatorial Guinea 1 · Mauritius 0 Mozambique 0 · Cape Verde Islands 2 Tanzania 0 · Congo 2 São Tomé and Príncipe 1 · Rwanda 1 Madagascar 0 · Botswana 0 Burundi 0

September 11 Nations League 2020/21 Match Day 1 Africa League D · Liberia 3 Seychelles 0 · Gambia 1 South Sudan 0 · Guinea-Bissau 1 Mauritania 1 · eSwatini 0 Sierra Leone 0 · Eritrea 1 Somalia 0 · Zimbabwe 1 Lesotho 0 · Ethiopia 4 Comoros 2

September 15 Nations League 2020/21 MD 2 Africa League A · Algeria 0 Guinea 1 · Chad 2 Togo 0 · Libya 0 South Africa 0 · Benin 1 Tunisia 1

September 16 Nations League 2020/21 MD 2 Africa League B · Malawi 1 Burkina Faso 0 · Congo DR 0 Morocco 2 · Sudan 2 Senegal 3 · Nigeria 1 Uganda 0 Africa League C · Central African Republic 1 Namibia 1 · Mozambique 4 Zambia 3 · Equatorial Guinea 1 Mauritius 1 · São Tomé and Príncipe 2 Cape Verde Islands 2 · Tanzania 1 Congo 0 · Burundi 2 Rwanda 1 · Madagascar 0 Botswana 0

September 17 Nations League 2020/21 MD 2 Africa League D · Seychelles 0 Djibouti 0 · Mauritania 1 Gambia 0 · South Sudan 4 Guinea-Bissau 0 · Somalia 1 eSwatini 1 · Sierra Leone 2 Eritrea 0 · Comoros 0 Zimbabwe 0 · Lesotho 0 Ethiopia 1