African giants suffer shock defeats in qualifiers
As this month’s international window draws to a close, multiple African giants succumbed to shock defeats in the World Cup Qualifiers, reports Reuters, November 21.
In the opening round of fixtures, Ghana, who won at home against Madagascar 1-0 on November 17, suffered a humiliating loss away from home to minnows Comoros a few days after.
Comoros, victors against the Black Stars 1-0 on November 21, have never qualified for a World Cup and have only made the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on one occasion (2021).
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Rwanda, ranked 140th in the FIFA rankings, stunned the South Africans, winning by two goals to nil in their own backyard.
In contrast, 2022 World Cup semifinalists Morocco eased to a 2-0 win against ten-man Tanzania in front of a buoyant Dar-es-Salaam crowd as ex-Chelsea and Ajax star Hakim Ziyech got on the scoresheet.
The Atlas Lions are Africa’s number one team and are ranked 13th in the latest world rankings.
Neighbouring Tunisia also gave a good account of themselves, winning 1-0 away to Malawi and cruising to a 4-0 victory against Sao Tome and Principe.
Reuters
