Morocco defeated Zambia 1-0 on Wednesday at the Africa Cup of Nations, with Hakim Ziyech scoring in the first half. This secured their top spot in Group F and ensured that the tournament hosts, Ivory Coast, remained in the competition.
The temporary captain of Morocco was forced to leave the game due to an ankle injury during half-time. However, before his departure, he scored a clever goal from close range in the 38th minute, helping Morocco secure seven points and maintain their position in first place. The Democratic Republic of Congo, in second place, drew 0-0 with Tanzania.
Zambia ended up in third place in their group with only two points. Unfortunately, this was not sufficient to secure one of the four spots in the last-16 round that were designated for the top third-place finishers. Instead, the Ivory Coast was able to secure a spot, causing jubilation among the locals at the Laurent Pokou Stadium. These fans had come out to support Morocco, but were aware that if Zambia were to lose, their team would qualify.
The team from Congo came in second place in their pool with a total of three points after tying three times. They will move on to the next round along with Morocco, who will face off against South Africa. The match had very few opportunities for the 12,847 spectators at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, but they were able to celebrate the fact that Ivory Coast secured a spot in the round of 16 as one of the top third-place finishers. Despite firing their coach, Jean-Louis Gasset, they will still play against Senegal on Monday.
On Wednesday, Tunisia left the Africa Cup of Nations after being tied 0-0 with South Africa in the hot weather of Korhogo. This outcome allows their opponents to advance to the round of 16.
Tunisia was responsible for taking action in the game as they were in need of a victory to climb out of the bottom of Group E. However, they were unable to generate much during the competition and were unsuccessful in defeating a determined South Africa. Mali is currently leading the group with five points after a scoreless tie with Namibia, while South Africa holds second place with four points. Namibia has also advanced to the next round as one of the four top third-place teams.
After Morocco and Senegal, Tunisia is the third highest-ranked African team at the tournament in the Ivory Coast. However, they suffered a surprising defeat to Namibia in their first game and were only able to tie with Mali and South Africa. As a result, they joined Algeria and Ghana as unexpected eliminations in the group stage.
Ignore the newsletter advertisement.
after newsletter promotion
Mali, the winners of their group, will move on to face Burkina Faso in Korhogo next Tuesday for the last-16 round. Meanwhile, Namibia will face their neighboring country Angola on Saturday. South Africa’s next match will be against Morocco on Tuesday.
Source: theguardian.com
