Mauritania, DR Congo Book AFCON Places After Wins
Mauritania qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the third time after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Gabon, while DR Congo secured its place in the tournament after a 2-0 home victory against Sudan on Saturday.
Needing just a point to seal its spot at next year’s finals in Cote d’Ivoire, Mauritania made the perfect start when Gabon keeper Jean-Noel Amonome was sent off in the Group I encounter. Amonome was shown a straight red card, leaving the Panthers with only 10 players to continue the battle.
Mauritania swiftly capitalised on their numerical advantage, breaking the deadlock in the 30th minute when Hemeya Tanjy found the net, giving Mauritania a 1-0 lead. The Lions of Chinguetti then extended the lead in the 42nd minute when Aboubakar Kamara struckjust before halftime.
Gabon, determined to stage a comeback, intensified their efforts in the second half. In the dying moments of the game, Gabon managed to pull one back when Didier Ndong scored following an assist from Wilfried Ebane.
However, this late goal proved to be a mere consolation, as Mauritania held on to secure a 2-1 victory, clinching their spot in the 2023 AFCON finals.
This triumph marked the Lions of Chinguetti’s qualification for the AFCON finals for the third time, building upon their previous appearances in the 2019 edition in Egypt and the 2021 showpiece in Cameroon.
After recent appearances in Egypt and Cameroon, the Lions of Chinguetti now look ahead to Cote d’Ivoire next year.
DR Congo 2-0 Sudan
Meanwhile in the group match, DR Congo secured its place at the Africa Cup of Nations after a 2-0 home victory over Sudan on Saturday.
The Leopards knew only a win would be enough to qualify from Group I. And early goals in each half from Theo Bongonda and Fiston Mayele sealed a comfortable triumph.
The result saw DR Congo leapfrog Mauritania to top spot in the group as they qualified for the tournament to be played in Cote d’Ivoire next year.
