In a dramatic turn of events in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, West African giants Ghana and Nigeria both suffered chastening defeats on Tuesday. Ghana, leading 2-0 at home, collapsed to a 4-2 loss against The Gambia in Accra, while Nigeria were comprehensively outplayed 3-0 in Guinea Bissau. These results underscore the unpredictable nature of African football and heaped pressure on the traditional powerhouses.
Ghana seemed in control after Ernest Nuamah and Felix Afena-Gyan scored within the first 33 minutes. However, The Gambia, with a population of under three million compared to Ghana's nearly 35 million, mounted a stunning comeback. Muhammed Badamosi converted a penalty, Omar Colley scored, and substitute Ebrima Colley struck twice to complete the remarkable turnaround. Angry home fans threw bottles onto the pitch in the closing stages. The defeat intensifies scrutiny on veteran coach Carlos Queiroz, following their opening Group C loss away to Ivory Coast.
Nigeria, semifinalists at the last AFCON in January, fielded seven Premier League players in their starting lineup but were thoroughly beaten in Bissau. Franculino Dju curled home the opener, captain Mama Balde doubled the lead in the 66th minute, and Alvaro Djalo added a third in stoppage time. The margin could have been even larger.
Algeria, two goals down away to Burundi after just 12 minutes, fought back to earn a 2-2 draw in Bujumbura. Mohamed Belloumi and Adil Boulbina spared Algeria's blushes, but the performance under new coach Brahim Hemdani was far from convincing. Cape Verde, who impressed at the World Cup, lost their second Group K match, going down 2-1 at home to Rwanda, with teenager Elie Iradukunda scoring the winner. In the same group, Mali won 1-0 away in Liberia.
Egypt, who left Mohamed Salah at home due to fears of injury on the artificial surface in Juba, South Sudan, cruised to a 5-0 victory. Omar Marmoush scored twice, with Mostafa Zico, Ibrahim Adel, and teenager Hamza Abdelkarim also on target. Morocco beat Lesotho 2-0 in Bloemfontein, South Africa, as Lesotho lacks a stadium meeting international standards. Brahim Diaz and Azzedine Ounahi scored. Senegal ground out a 1-0 win away in Ethiopia, with Ibrahim Mbaye scoring the only goal after 11 minutes, assisted by his Aston Villa teammate Nicolas Jackson. It was new coach Patrick Vieira's first win.
Elsewhere, Mozambique thrashed Sudan 4-1, Cameroon drew 1-1 with Congo in Brazzaville, Comoros beat Namibia 1-0, Zambia defeated Togo 2-0 in a match halted for 20 minutes by a power failure, Benin overcame Mauritania 2-1, and Uganda edged Libya 1-0. A total of 17 matches were played. The 2027 finals will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Source: www.aljazeera.com