Estebans Objangs | Photo: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP
Algeria, the champion of the previous tournament in the African Cup of Nations, continued to defend the title on Sunday. In the tournament in Cameroon, Algeria won Equatorial Guinea 0: 1 (0: 0) without winning the second game.
The rebound went to Estebans Objangs who failed to hit the target.
Before that, in Division E, Côte d’Ivoire played a 2: 2 draw with Sierra Leone. In the 12th minute of the match, the pendulum performed by Côte d’Ivoire footballer Frank Kezi was repulsed by Mohamed Kamar. However, on the 25th minute, Sebastian Ali scored and gave the Ivorian Coast team the lead. In the 55th minute of the game, Musa Noah recovered one goal, but ten minutes later Nicolas Pepe returned to Côte d’Ivoire. In the third minute of compensation time, Alhaji Kamar pulled out a draw for Sierra Leone.
In sub-group E, the leader after two games is Côte d’Ivoire with four points, Equatorial Guinea with three points, Sierra Leone with two points and Algeria with one point.
Meanwhile, Tunisia won a convincing victory in subgroup F, which destroyed Mauritania with 4: 0 (2: 0). Hamza Mathluthi and Vahbi Hazri scored first in the fourth and ninth minutes, but in the middle of the second and 64th minutes, Hazri and Seifedin Jaziri scored 4: 0. Jusefs Msakni was able to finish off the move – 5 – 0!
The group’s second game between Gambia and Mali ended in a draw 1: 1 (0: 0). 11 minutes before the end of the regular time, Mali was led by Ibrahima Koné, but in the last minute of the tie, Musa Berov took the draw 1: 1.
In subgroup F, the Gambia and Mali have four points in two games, Tunisia has three points and Mauritania has three points.
The final tournament features 24 national teams divided into six subgroups of four teams each. The two best teams in each subgroup, as well as the four best third place winners, will enter the elimination tournament.
The African Football Confederation (CAF) has decided that the spread of Covid-19 will limit the number of fans in the stadiums. Housewives in Cameroon will be able to attend up to 80 percent of the stadium’s capacity, while the rest will be attended by no more than 60 percent of the stadium’s capacity.
The African Cup of Nations (African Championship) takes place in Cameroon from 9 January to 6 February. The championship was supposed to take place last summer, but it was postponed to this winter and retained its title of “2021 Africa Cup of Nations.” Algeria won the final tournament in Egypt in 2019, beating Senegal 1: 0 in the title match.
