March 8 to 28, 2021 (World Cup Qualifiers [Africa Groups A-F])

A Chapter by Steve Clark

The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments taking place in 2021.

March 8 to 28, 2021 (World Cup Qualifiers [Africa Groups A-F])

World Cup Qualifiers in Africa ramped up this month.

Group A’s Sudan hosted eSwatini in a match filled with offsides for the visitors, whilst Sudan could not find a way through the eSwatini defence, often encountering a high number of intercepts. In the second half, Sudan hit the crossbar twice. This sandwiched substitute Yasir Mozamil’s goal, where a through ball cut the defence in half, and Mozamil was left alone to power into the back of the net.

Guinea flew to Liberia in the hope of gaining the full three points. Hitting the post nullified Liberia’s dominance in possession. Posing a constant threat in attack led to a penalty for defender Florentin Pogba, and though the Liberian goalkeeper managed a hand on the ball, it still trickled over the line. Liberia eased back into the match in the second half, spreading the ball left and right. This led to a goal for midfielder Allen Njie, who tucked the ball inside the near post from just inside the box. Liberia hit the post late in the match, but the score ended 1-1.

Six days later, Guinea visited Sudan, romping them 4-1. At first, Sudan came out to play and scored in the second minute via Athar El-Tahir. However, by the ninth minute, Amadou Diawara and François Kamano had gained the lead for Guinea. Kamano collected a brace in by the 31st minute, and from there, Guinea had complete control of the match. Morlaye Sylla added a fourth goal late in the match to ensure full points went to the Guineans.

Liberia held on against Tanzania for a 2-1 victory. Seth Hellberg scored either side of the break, first with a low shot from the edge of the box, then with a lovely chip shot over the Tanzanian goalkeeper. Mzamiru Yassini managed to peg one back for the visitors, though the Liberians kept control of the latter stages to hold firm for the three points and keep the lead on the table at the midpoint.

	African WCQ Gr A	Pl	W	D	L	Pts	GD
1	Liberia	4	3	1	0	10	+9
2	Guinea	4	3	1	0	10	+7
3	Tanzania	4	1	0	3	3	-2
4	Sudan	4	1	0	3	3	-5
5	eSwatini	4	1	0	3	3	-9

Group B’s South Africa sported a new-look side, aiming to reach the 2022 World Cup with fresh blood. They first flew to the Comoros, who looked dangerous with three shots hitting the woodwork, including a penalty from Ali M’Madi. However, South Africa’s Evidence Makgopa broke the deadlock in the 64th minute with his head and repeated the same in the 82nd minute to gift his side the best possible avenue to the Playoffs.

The Gambia and Chad faced off for the second time in the Qualifiers, after their initial draw last year. The hosts got off to a flyer with a goal from Player of the Match Ebrima Colley. Colley’s header came from a cross from the right wing, where the Gambians mostly attacked. However, a long ball straight to Chadian striker Marius Mouandilmadji levelled the match. The Gambian substitute in Muhammed Badamosi needed to run onto a header, also from a right wing cross, where they then held on for the win.

Six days later, Chad hosted the Comorans to gain a vital three points. However, the match ended a scoreless draw, with little play, or players, of note to document.

Malawi, the only side in Group B not to qualify for last year’s AFCON, bounced back from the 6-0 drubbing by South Africa prior to the AFCON to defeat Bafana Bafana 2-0. South Africa had the better of the play early, with Malawi sitting back in defence. However, a counterattack led to a header by Richard Mbulu, rising above the rest of the players. From there, Malawi dominated the possession, ending the half with 57%. This led to Khuda Muyaba’s goal immediately after the break, with Mbulu’s pass slicing the South African defence and the striker making no mistake. From there, Malawi gained the honours on the day and ensured three points, and second place in the group, were safely theirs.

	African WCQ Gr B	Pl	W	D	L	Pts	GD
1	South Africa	4	3	0	1	9	+8
2	Malawi	4	2	1	1	7	-3
3	Comoros	4	1	1	2	4	-2
4	Gambia	4	1	1	2	4	-2
5	Chad	4	0	3	1	3	-1

Group E’s Ghana scored against Angola just before the break when Andre Ayew swapped to a more central position with his brother Jordan and was found alone with the ball, shooting to the near post and slotting with ease. A second goal looked on the cards, as the hosts dominated across the park. However, it never came.

Sierra Leone came out attacking against Algeria, and this decision paid off in the 31st minute when midfielder Mohamed Kamara slotted home the only goal for the match. Sierra Leone had other chances go begging, but at the end of the day, Algeria looked rather lacklustre.

Sierra Leone, however, showed little depth in their squad, as two injuries in the match against Algeria meant a slightly weaker starting eleven when hosting Angola. Though Sierra Leone had much of the play, Angola disrupted any genuine attack time and time again. In the end, the scoreless draw suited the visitors far more.

Ghana’s pressing play was not as productive against Mauritania as it had been against Angola six days earlier. The hosts struggled in periods to produce any long passages of play. Eventually, in the 77th minute, Mubarak Wakaso stepped up and took on the Mauritanian defenders, finally shooting with his left through the wall and beyond the goalkeeper. From there, Ghana held on for the solitary goal win and top spot at the halfway stage of the Qualifiers.

	African WCQ Gr E	Pl	W	D	L	Pts	GD
1	Ghana	4	3	1	0	10	+3
2	Sierra Leone	4	2	2	0	8	+2
3	Algeria	4	2	0	2	6	+1
4	Angola	4	1	1	2	4	0
5	Mauritania	4	0	0	4	0	-6

In Group F, Guinea-Bissau started their March Match Days with a 1-0 victory over Botswana. Moreto Cassamá scored with his head in the 50th minute, where Guinea-Bissau had the upper hand across that half. From there, the hosts held on for the three points.

The Congo came from behind to defeat Egypt, with Guy Mbenza and Antoine Makoumbou scoring. Earlier, Abdalla El Said headed for Egypt to take the lead. However, the Congolese kept up the pressure and made the most of limited chances. Egypt seemed to play as a shocked side when the game was 1-1, and from there, the visitors made the most and won.

Six days later, Guinea-Bissau flew to Tunisia, resulting in a scoreless draw. No shots on target were registered in the first half, until Tunisia took control of the second half. However, the visitors’ defence held firm, not allowing a goal past.

Egypt made changes to their side as they travelled to Botswana. The hosts figured attack was the best form of defence, and so took on the Egyptians at their own game. Botswana hit the crossbar twice, only to not manage a goal. However, they did not relinquish a goal either, a positive result for them.

	African WCQ Gr F	Pl	W	D	L	Pts	GD
1	Guinea-Bissau	4	3	1	0	10	+4
2	Tunisia	4	1	2	1	5	+3
3	Congo	4	1	2	1	5	0
4	Egypt	4	1	1	2	4	+2
5	Botswana	4	0	2	2	2	-7

In Group D, Zambia hosted Equatorial Guinea. The hosts had the better of much of the play, and a chip shot from Patson Daka helped take the lead just before the hour mark. However, striker Josete Miranda had other ideas and headed the equaliser in the 90th minute, leaving Zambia to rue their missed opportunity at three points.

Both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Aaron Boupendza scored braces for Gabon against Ethiopia in their encounter. Ethiopian Yihun Endashew did snag back a goal to make it 2-1 in the first half. However, the two Gabonese strikers ruled their attacking third and made little mistakes from in front of goal.

Aubameyang backed up his brace with another goal six days later against Equatorial Guinea. The first half saw no shots on target from either team; however, the Gabonese striker ran onto a choice through ball straight after the break, and though he needed two attempts, Aubameyang secured the only goal of the match.

Burkina Faso looked lacklustre in their only March Qualifier against Ethiopia. The away side gained a penalty in the 31st minute, slotted into the bottom left corner by Getaneh Kebede. From there, Burkina Faso could not find an effective path towards goal. Their best chance to equalise came late off a header that hit the crossbar and bounced on the line. Instead, Ethiopia sits at the top of the group at the midpoint.

	African WCQ Gr D	Pl	W	D	L	Pts	GD
1	Ethiopia	4	3	0	1	9	+2
2	Gabon	4	2	1	1	7	+2
3	Burkina Faso	4	1	2	1	5	0
4	Zambia	4	1	1	2	4	-2
5	Equatorial Guinea	4	0	2	2	2	-2

In Group C, Zimbabwe came from behind to defeat Lesotho on home soil. Attacking midfielder Tšepo Toloane headed home a cross in the 27th minute, not effectively defended by any Zimbabweans. Evans Rusike needed to enter the match due to an injury and scored with his head in similar fashion. Rusike then nearly scored the winner late, hitting the woodwork. Player of the Match Takudzwa Chimwemwe, who made the initial pass, then followed up the loose ball and slid the ball over the line. 2-1 was the score.

Benin needed Désiré Segbé Azankpo to come off the bench and score for a 1-0 victory over Libya. Both sides played far too defensively to see any real progress on goal, until the change saw the match open and Benin to gain the three points.

Libya played in a far more attacking fashion six days later whilst hosting Zimbabwe. The visitors did have the early opportunities, before Libya settled into creating different chances to score, including a free kick hitting the woodwork. Rusike, for Zimbabwe, had a chance to gain the three points at the death, with his shot hitting the upright and bounding across the face of goal. In the end, a scoreless draw worked in the favour of the southern Africans.

Hlompho Kalake was the single goal scorer for Lesotho in their hosting of Niger. The west Africans seemed lacklustre in their only match of the March Qualifiers, and Lesotho ensured the three points. In a play that almost seemed a certain goal after the ball was seen trickling beyond the away goalkeeper, the referee in the meantime blew his whistle for handball in the area. Luckily for the home side, Kalake was up to the task. From there, his side held on for the win.