CAPE TOWN, Sept 9 (Askume) – Heavyweight contenders struggled in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Monday, with Ghana drawing and Morocco and Senegal beating underdogs.
But for Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, victories continue to provide a positive start to the campaign that began last week.
Niger held Ghana to a 1–1 draw in the final minute, while Senegal needed penalty kicks to beat Burundi 1–0.
Morocco beat Lesotho in the final seconds, with Real Madrid striker Brahim Diaz scoring a stunning stoppage-time strike to beat Agadir 1-0.
Morocco will host the next finals but will participate in the preliminary round despite being guaranteed 24 teams.
They made nine changes from a 4-1 win over Gabon in their other Group B game on Friday, which was played in Agadir as Lesotho did not have a stadium suitable for international football and gave up home advantage.
France’s Alidou Seidu gave Ghana the lead with a superb long-range shot a minute before half-time but they could not hold on to their lead and Niger equalised in the 81st minute through Oumar Sako.
Ghana have one point in Group F after losing to Angola at home last week. One.
Battle of Senegal
Senegal will face neutral Malawi with a full squad against Burundi in Group L but will face a battle to beat a team that is 120 places behind them in the FIFA rankings.
He eventually was awarded a penalty when Sadio Mane was kicked in the face, but the Egyptian referee did not allow him to take the penalty because he was injured, left the field for treatment, and was not allowed to return.
Ismailia Sarr took a penalty kick in the 71st minute to ensure the victory and give his team four points.
The Democratic Republic of Congo beat Ethiopia 2-0 in Dar es Salaam to make it two wins from two games in Group H. Theo Bongonda and Fiston Majele scored a goal each in the second half.
Uganda, who nearly beat South Africa in an away match last Friday, defeated Congo 2-0 at home in Kampala and currently top Group K with 4 points.
Togo, who were 2-0 down in Group E, scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time to help Equatorial Guinea draw 2-2 with Malabo.
Madagascar and the Comoros Islands drew 1–1 in the Group A Indian Ocean derby, which was played in Tunisia as neither island has a stadium.
The second qualifying round for the 2025 finals will conclude on Tuesday, with a total of 15 games scheduled.
