Menzi Magubane
The first round of qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) produced some thrilling games but few surprises, as the highest-ranked nations all won their opening games.
Ghana, Tunisia, Senegal and host nation Ivory Coast have all been in prolific form, each scoring more than two goals in their opening matches.
Since Wednesday, 17 games have been played and fans of these nations will be smiling.
On the first day, the Black Stars defeated Madagascar 3-0 to stamp their authority in Group E. On the second day Tunisia humiliated Equatorial Guinea by 4-0 in Group J.
Equatorial Guinea should be disappointed, producing a dismal performance that was unworthy of the nation’s brilliant showing in Afcon earlier this year.
The third day saw Ivory Coast produce a dominant performance against Zambia in their Group H battle. The host nation won 3-1 to take the lead in the group while the Zambians are at the bottom.
The participation of the hosts Ivory Coast in the qualifiers left many confused.
Typically the host nations do not play in the qualifiers but they do get friendly matches to prepare.
CAF however confirmed Ivory Coast’s participation in qualifying before the match started.
“The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations hosts, Ivory Coast, will participate in the qualifiers regardless of the team being guaranteed a spot in the finals, which means only the best-ranked team within their group apart from Ivory Coast will qualify for the finals,” CAF said in a statement.
“The Ivory Coast matches and results will count in determining the qualification of the other teams from their group.”
The Ivory Coast, Ghana and Tunisia results were not the only scoreline that raised eyebrows. Reigning African champions Senegal also scored three goals past Benin in Group K.
Senegal won 3-1 but it was their captain Sadio Mane who stole the show with a hat-trick. The Liverpool man will be expected to continue with his scoring form and lead the team to qualify for the tournament.
Looks like the other high-ranked teams – including Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, Cameroon and Bafana Bafana – have high mountains to climb when they begin their campaigns.
Image source: @Arsenal
