Zim and DR Congo face off in do-or-die match

Zimbabwe and DR Congo will be fighting for their lives in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations when they meet in their final Group A match, set for the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Sunday, 30 June.

Kick-off is at 9pm CAT (SA, GMT+2).

Zimbabwe picked up their first point of the Afcon on Wednesday night when they played out a 1-1 draw with Uganda. The Warriors were behind early on to a goal from Emmanuel Okwi, but they hit back through Khama Billiat to earn a share of the spoils.

However, the Southern Africans will be disappointed that they didn’t manage to claim all three points on offer, as they missed out on several good scoring chances throughout the match and were arguably the better team overall.

Coach Sunday Chidzambwa will task his team with raising their level of performance for this final group stage match, as they look to make history for the country and become the first Zimbabwean team to advance into the knockout rounds of the Nations Cup.

DR Congo are in an even worse position than Zimbabwe, having lost a second successive match when they were downed 2-0 by hosts Egypt on Wednesday night – Ahmed Elmohamady and Mohamed Salah scored for the Pharaohs.

This leaves the Leopards on zero points and with a minus four goal difference, meaning they will need a big win over Zimbabwe to have a chance of being ranked as one of the best third-place finishers.

The Warriors, meanwhile, still have a chance of finishing in the top two of the group. A win over DRC combined with a win for already-qualified Egypt over Uganda in the other Group A match would bring them level with the Cranes – it would then be down to goal difference as the tie breaker (due to the teams’ draw in midweek).

In head-to-head stats, Zimbabwe and DR Congo have met in just four previous matches. The Warriors have claimed two wins compared to one for the Leopards, while one game ended all-square.

The teams’ most recent meetings were played back-to-back in October last year in the qualification campaign for this Afcon tournament: Zimbabwe won 2-1 in Kinshasa, while the return game in Harare ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

Mauritania look to upset Tunisia

Mauritania will look for an upset win over Tunisia in their final Group E match at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. The clash is set for the Suez Stadium on Tuesday, 2 July.

Kick-off is at 9pm CAT (SA, GMT+2).

Mauritania claimed their first Afcon point on Saturday when they held Angola to a goalless stalemate, a result which keeps them in the hunt for a place in the last 16 – even though they enter the clash as the bottom-placed team.

Al Murabitun will know that a win will see them finish either second or third (depending on the result of the other Group E match between Mali and Angola) and coach Corentin Martins will be urging his team to create further history at their major tournament debut.

Defeating their more illustrious opponents will be tough, but Mauritania have already made a big improvement from their opening 4-1 loss to Mali and a continuation of that upward trend could see them spring a surprise against the North Africans.

Tunisia, meanwhile, played to a second successive 1-1 draw when they were held by Mali on Friday afternoon. The North Africans found themselves behind to a goal direct from a corner kick by Diadie Samassekou (which was as a result of another goalkeeping error, this time from Hassen Mouez) but levelled through talisman Wahbi Khazri.

The Carthage Eagles will know that a win guarantees them a berth in the last 16 of the Afcon but they will be concerned by their lack of form thus far. Coach Alain Giresse has come under fire for the team’s performances and will want a major response in this final group match.

In head-to-head stats, Mauritania and Tunisia have met in 11 previous matches. The Carthage Eagles boast an unbeaten record (nine wins, two draws), while the teams’ most recent meeting was a friendly in Gabes in November 2016 which ended 0-0.

Madagascar out to upset Nigeria

Madagascar are set to square off with Nigeria in their final 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group B match at the Alexandria Stadium in Egypt on Sunday.

Kick-off is at 6pm CAT (SA, GMT+2).

Barea boosted their chances of reaching the knockout phase by securing their maiden win at the Afcon finals when they defeated fellow tournament debutants Burundi 1-0 on Thursday.

Madagascar are placed second on the group standings with four points and a draw or victory against Nigeria will see them advance to the Round of 16.

Nicolas Dupuis, the Madagascar head coach, is looking to mastermind the Super Eagles’ downfall after making history in the continental competition.

“I am so happy because of this victory (against Burundi). It was our first in the history of the Afcon and we worked hard for it,” Dupuis said.

“It was not an easy match because Burundi gave us a tough time especially in the second half. But we can be proud of our efforts, we can be proud of what we achieved but the work is not yet over. We still have Nigeria to think about.”

Saudi Arabia-based striker Carolus Andriamatsinoro, who scored against Guinea on match-day one, will be looking to help Madagascar overcome the Super Eagles.

Meanwhile, Nigeria secured their place in the Round of 16 with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Guinea with one game left in the group stage on Wednesday.

The Super Eagles are placed at the top of the group standings with six points and they will be looking to finish at the top of the table with a victory over Barea.

Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr has stated that they will be looking to ensure that they finish their group stage campaign on a winning note.

“It was a good performance from the team, we played really well though it was a tough game from Guinea,” Rohr said.

“I am happy we could deal with the danger they posed and being the first into the round of 16 is a joy for us. Now we have to ensure we finish off well against Madagascar in our last game to top the pool.”

China-based striker Odion Ighalo has already scored once at the ongoing tournament and he will be keen to inspire Nigeria to victory over Madagascar.

In head-to-head stats, Madagascar and Nigeria have clashed four times with the Super Eagles recording three wins, and one game ended in a draw.

Cameroon and Ghana cancel each other out in forgettable 0-0 draw

Cameroon and Ghana, two of the most successful teams in Africa Cup of Nations history with nine titles between them, cancelled each other out in a forgettable 0-0 draw in their Group F match on Saturday.

Ghana nearly snatched the points in the 88th minute when Kwabena Owusu intercepted a dreadful Jean Armel Kana Biyik pass, charged forward and fired a ferocious shot against the bar.

But that would have been an unfittingly generous end to a match which featured too many misplaced passes, poor first touches and wayward finishing on another searing evening at the Ismailia stadium – while there were some unusual decisions from the referee.

Ghana defender Jonathan Mensah was one of the few players to distinguish himself, making three key interventions to prevent a Cameroon goal.

Holders Cameroon top the group with four points from two games while Ghana have two points after drawing both their matches.

“It may not have been good for the fans, but speaking as a coach, knowing what I have seen, I have seen two very organised teams who created enough to win,” said Cameroon coach Clarence Seedorf.

Kasim Nuhu wasted an excellent early chance for Ghana by side-footing over from 12 metres and Christian Atsu fired a low shot narrowly wide but injured his hamstring in the process and was replaced by Samuel Owusu.

It was generally a scrappy opening, summed up by a Christian Bassogog effort where he sent the simplest of short passes straight into touch.

There was also an odd incident where the ball hit the referee and rebounded to Cameroon. The official then stopped play, gave the ball to Ghana and invited them to play on.

He also let a number of strong tackles go unpunished, showing one yellow card for 28 fouls.

Mensah made his first intervention with a timely last-ditch tackle on Karl Toko Ekambi as the Cameroon player got away and was about to pull the trigger. Bassogog also had a good chance but it was palmed away by Richard Ofori.

There was little improvement in the second half although Mensah again came to Ghana’s rescue when he managed to get his head to Collins Fai’s cross and nick it away from the lurking Clinton Njie.

Mensah followed that up by stopping a goalbound Bassogog volley.

There was a flurry of action towards the end including Owusu’s effort against the bar, raising the question as to why the teams did not push forward earlier.

“We never start a match to draw, we start to win,” said Seedorf. “There are ways and ways to win a match. I am satisfied with a point.”