from AHMED MOOLAH in Cairo & RUSSELL ADADEVOH in Accra
Africa Bureau
CAIRO, (CAJ News) – THE Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying race produced another dramatic night on Tuesday with 22 teams in action and several of the continent’s established names facing contrasting fortunes.
Egypt were the biggest winners, crushing South Sudan 5-0 in Juba.
Mostafa Ziko opened the scoring before Omar Marmoush struck twice, while Ibrahim Adel and Hamza Abdelkarim completed a comprehensive victory.
The result reinforced Egypt’s credentials after they had been held to a goalless draw by Angola in their opening fixture.
Morocco also maintained their perfect start, defeating Lesotho 2-0 in Bloemfontein.
Brahim Díaz broke the deadlock shortly before half-time before Azzedine Ounahi added the second in the closing stages.
The Atlas Lions now have six points from two matches, underlining their strong position in Group A.
Ghana suffered arguably the night’s biggest surprise, losing 4-2 at home to The Gambia.
The Black Stars led 2-0 after goals from Ernest Nuamah and Felix Afena-Gyan, but The Gambia responded spectacularly.
Muhammed Badamosi, Omar Colley and Ebrima Colley turned the contest around, with another Ebrima Colley goal in stoppage time completing the comeback.
Nigeria endured an even more damaging evening, suffering a 3-0 defeat away to Guinea-Bissau.
The result puts pressure on the Super Eagles after their opening victory over Madagascar, while Guinea-Bissau’s second successive win gives them early momentum in Group L.
Senegal were less spectacular but secured an important 1-0 victory over Ethiopia, with Ibrahim Mbaye scoring in the 11th minute.
Algeria, meanwhile, were held 2-2 by Burundi after falling two goals behind before Mohamed Belloumi and Adil Boulbina rescued a point.
Other notable results saw Mozambique thrash Sudan 4-1, Zambia beat Togo 2-0, Uganda edge Libya 1-0 and Rwanda defeat Cape Verde 2-1.
Comoros also recorded a 1-0 victory over Namibia.
Madagascar and Tanzania drew 1-1, while Gabon beat Niger 2-0.
Benin defeated Mauritania 2-1, Cameroon drew 1-1 with Congo, Mali won 1-0 away to Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire beat Somalia 2-0.
The results underline how quickly the qualification picture can change.
Several of Africa’s traditional powers have already dropped points, while nations such as The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Rwanda have demonstrated that the qualifying field offers few straightforward assignments.
Wednesday, 30 September brings just one AFCON qualifier: Eritrea against South Africa at Cairo’s Al Salam Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 16:00 GMT.
The match is being played in Egypt because Eritrea does not have a CAF-approved home venue.
South Africa arrive with three points after their 2-1 victory over Guinea in their opening Group D match. Ime Okon and substitute Samukele Kabini scored for Bafana Bafana, while Guinea briefly threatened a comeback.
Eritrea, however, showed considerable resilience in their 1-1 draw with automatically qualified co-hosts Kenya.
They led for much of that encounter before conceding late, demonstrating the defensive organisation South Africa will need to break down.
The Group D equation adds importance to the fixture.
Kenya are already assured of a place at AFCON 2027 as co-hosts, meaning only the highest-placed team among South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea will join them from the group.
South Africa therefore have an opportunity to strengthen their position, but Eritrea’s opening performance suggests this could be a patient and tightly contested encounter.
For Pitso Mosimane, the match is another chance to shape his returning Bafana Bafana side.
After Tuesday’s goal-laden programme, Wednesday offers a very different proposition: one match, significant qualification implications and little room for complacency.
– CAJ News