Only two meetings for this day of the African Cup of Nations. The Cameroonians must continue against Ethiopia after their victory when they enter the running on Sunday. As for the Burkinabés, they must make up for it after their defeat in the opening match.
We summarize everything in our CAN diary, our daily meeting until the final on February 6.
What happened yesterday
Three matches were on the program, with the successes on the same narrow score (1-0), of Mali and Gambia in group F, and Côte d’Ivoire in the evening, in group E. Three victories and … Two huge hiccups!
The afternoon began rather quietly, at the Omnisport Stadium in Limbé. But as Mali heads for their first success and Tunisia pushes to return to the score, the referee, Mr. Sikazwe, whistles the end… five minutes too early. He changed his mind before putting a new end to the 89th minute. Furious, the Tunisians refuse to resume when they have the opportunity, which could earn them a next game lost on the green carpet.
In the process, Gambia scored from the start (10th minute) against Mauritania and did not let go. Beyond the defeat, the Mourabitounes (the nickname of the Mauritanian players) suffered the affront that before the meeting the sound system is three times wrong hymn. And that it is ultimately… not found. Hopefully they can hear it and sing it on Sunday against Tunisia.
In the match of the evening, Côte d’Ivoire, one of the favorites of the competition, Max-Alain Gradel, the captain and former Stéphanois, opened hostilities, punishing Equatorial Guinea with a powerful strike (5th) .
The “Elephants” then maintain the pressure without managing to make the break. They will play qualifying on Sunday against Sierra Leone.
The program for this Thursday
Group A. Cameroon – Ethiopia (17 hours on BeinSport 2)
Cameroon wants to continue its momentum. After a complicated victory in the opening match against Burkina Faso (2-1), the selection coached by Toni Conceiçao will be able to count on its striker Vincent Aboubakar, author of a double in the first match. A second victory would allow them to secure a qualification in the round of 16 and pursue the dream of a triumph at home. A meeting that promises to be complicated, because the Ethiopians will be revenge. They lost their first match against Cape Verde (0-1). A second defeat would drastically reduce their chance of reaching the finals.
Group A. Cape Verde-Burkina Faso (20 hours on BeinSport 3)
Burkina Faso had started well. By opening the scoring against Cameroon, the players coached by Kamou Malo could have hoped for better. A double from goalscorer Vincent Aboubakar undermined their hope. Unqualified in the 2019 edition, in 2017, the Burkinabés reached the semi-finals. With its victory against Ethiopia (1-0) on Sunday, Cape Verde, well led by Julio Tavares, former Dijon player and top scorer in the history of the Burgundy club, intends to continue their epic. This will mean a victory this Thursday against the 60th nation in the world.
The player to watch: Vincent Aboubakar
Double scorer in the opening against Burkina Faso (two penalties in five minutes), the Cameroonian striker of Al-Nassr Riyad, passed by Valenciennes and Lorient, can send his team to the next round if it displays the same efficiency, and the same desire: “I can not say that I am satisfied, he declared after the victory at the microphone of Canal + Africa. Considering the team we have, we did not provide good football. We must not see that we have scored two goals, we must play better, do better. In front of our home crowd, we have to show something else because we didn’t have a good match. “
