We have already completed the first round of qualifying in Oceania and North America, and now we’re going to complete the first round of African qualifying. This round sees 11 two-legged fixtures, and we’ve already had six ties completed. Below is the draw and results so far.
So today we’ll see the outcomes of the remaining five games, and we start in Togo.
Togo vs. Seychelles
First leg
With a narrow 4-1-3-2 formation, and against a 5-4-1 formation, it was always likely that Togo would dominate possession, and they did with 66%. They were able to turn early pressure into the opening goal when Anouar Mamadou poked in, and this was soon doubled. Seychelles got back into the game Alaba Adeniyi powered in following a free kick, but two second-half goals for Togo ensured they had a commanding 4-1 lead halfway into this tie.
Togo vs. Seychelles
First leg
With a narrow 4-1-3-2 formation, and against a 5-4-1 formation, it was always likely that Togo would dominate possession, and they did with 66%. They were able to turn early pressure into the opening goal when Anouar Mamadou poked in, and this was soon doubled. Seychelles got back into the game Alaba Adeniyi powered in following a free kick, but two second-half goals for Togo ensured they had a commanding 4-1 lead halfway into this tie.
Second leg
Again, Togo were able to dominate the play, this time with 64% possession and 23 shots to Seychelles’ 6. Particularly impressive was Mamadou, who completed 76 passes. Seychelles didn’t look like getting back into this tie, and Togo were content to shut their opponents out, as they progressed courtesy of a 0-0 draw.
Burundi vs. Gambia
First leg
Burundi are the highest-ranked side in this stage of qualifying, and so should expect to get through without any major difficulties. However, they found Gambia very difficult to play against, with the match being very scrappy, with few chances to either team. With both sides using a narrow diamond formation, there was a lot of congestion in the middle. Burundi’s Shabani Hussein was his side’s best creator with 4 key passes, but they couldn’t take they opportunities as they were frustrated with a 0-0 draw.
Second leg
Both teams stick with their winger-less formations, although Gambia shift to a 4-1-3-2 to further frustrate Burundi. However, their plan is undone when a neat pass from Ndikumana finds Eric Gatolo in the box, and he fires the ball into the bottom corner. Gambia’s best chance came when Bacary raced through on goal, but he fired his shot wide when he probably could have taken it closer to goal before shooting. It was to prove crucial as Gambia failed to score and succumbed to a 1-0 aggregate defeat.
Again, Togo were able to dominate the play, this time with 64% possession and 23 shots to Seychelles’ 6. Particularly impressive was Mamadou, who completed 76 passes. Seychelles didn’t look like getting back into this tie, and Togo were content to shut their opponents out, as they progressed courtesy of a 0-0 draw.
Burundi vs. Gambia
First leg
Burundi are the highest-ranked side in this stage of qualifying, and so should expect to get through without any major difficulties. However, they found Gambia very difficult to play against, with the match being very scrappy, with few chances to either team. With both sides using a narrow diamond formation, there was a lot of congestion in the middle. Burundi’s Shabani Hussein was his side’s best creator with 4 key passes, but they couldn’t take they opportunities as they were frustrated with a 0-0 draw.
Second leg
Both teams stick with their winger-less formations, although Gambia shift to a 4-1-3-2 to further frustrate Burundi. However, their plan is undone when a neat pass from Ndikumana finds Eric Gatolo in the box, and he fires the ball into the bottom corner. Gambia’s best chance came when Bacary raced through on goal, but he fired his shot wide when he probably could have taken it closer to goal before shooting. It was to prove crucial as Gambia failed to score and succumbed to a 1-0 aggregate defeat.
Cape Verde vs. Chad
First leg
Cape Verde’s 4-2-1-3 formation gave a lot of protection in front of the back four, so Chad tried to circumnavigate this with a 4-2-4 formation, with two DMs and two attacking wingers. However, they only managed two shots on target in the match, and suffered a 1-0 defeat thanks to Calu’s neat finish.
Second leg
Cape Verde have to do without Guy Ramos, who picked up a nasty ligament injury in (ironically) injury time in the first leg. Chad are in the nasty position that a single Cape Verde goal means that they need to score three times to progress, and this nightmare scenario occurred in the 29th minute when Nivaldo (Nivea-branded Rivaldo?) prodded in the opener. However, 59 seconds later and Chad immediately had one of the goals they needed when Samuel Ramses ran through a glaring gap in the Cape Verde defence to score. Ramses got his second after latching onto a long ball forward, but with only 7 minutes to go time was running out and Chad were unable to force any more chances as they were eliminated, cruelly, on away goals.
First leg
Cape Verde’s 4-2-1-3 formation gave a lot of protection in front of the back four, so Chad tried to circumnavigate this with a 4-2-4 formation, with two DMs and two attacking wingers. However, they only managed two shots on target in the match, and suffered a 1-0 defeat thanks to Calu’s neat finish.
Second leg
Cape Verde have to do without Guy Ramos, who picked up a nasty ligament injury in (ironically) injury time in the first leg. Chad are in the nasty position that a single Cape Verde goal means that they need to score three times to progress, and this nightmare scenario occurred in the 29th minute when Nivaldo (Nivea-branded Rivaldo?) prodded in the opener. However, 59 seconds later and Chad immediately had one of the goals they needed when Samuel Ramses ran through a glaring gap in the Cape Verde defence to score. Ramses got his second after latching onto a long ball forward, but with only 7 minutes to go time was running out and Chad were unable to force any more chances as they were eliminated, cruelly, on away goals.
Djibouti vs. Central African Republic
First leg
The signs were that this was going to be an exciting contest, as Djibouti lined up with three STs, and classic Pointless answer CAR used a 5-3-2 with flying full-backs, and the match didn’t disappointed. At the break we were 1-1, and 10 minutes into the second half it was 2-2 – in both cases Djibouti came from behind after goals by CAR’s Nicaise Kelebona. In the 91st minute it looked as if Djibouti had stolen it when Omar Aboubaker scored after a swift counter-attack, but two minutes later CAR were awarded a penalty and Armel Oroko put it away for an exciting 3-3 draw.
Second leg
With the 3-3 draw occurring in Djibouti, CAR knew they were going through as it stood on away goals, but with a lot of football left to play. Both sides had good opportunities, but neither could find the net. In injury time the biggest chance of the lot fell to Djibouti, as Moussa met a cross four yards from goal, but he connected terribly and the ball flew over the bar, and the goalless draw confirmed CAR as the side to progress.
First leg
The signs were that this was going to be an exciting contest, as Djibouti lined up with three STs, and classic Pointless answer CAR used a 5-3-2 with flying full-backs, and the match didn’t disappointed. At the break we were 1-1, and 10 minutes into the second half it was 2-2 – in both cases Djibouti came from behind after goals by CAR’s Nicaise Kelebona. In the 91st minute it looked as if Djibouti had stolen it when Omar Aboubaker scored after a swift counter-attack, but two minutes later CAR were awarded a penalty and Armel Oroko put it away for an exciting 3-3 draw.
Second leg
With the 3-3 draw occurring in Djibouti, CAR knew they were going through as it stood on away goals, but with a lot of football left to play. Both sides had good opportunities, but neither could find the net. In injury time the biggest chance of the lot fell to Djibouti, as Moussa met a cross four yards from goal, but he connected terribly and the ball flew over the bar, and the goalless draw confirmed CAR as the side to progress.
Mauritania vs. Madagascar
First leg
Mauritania started this match as strong favourites with the bookies, but found themselves behind after 4 minutes when Ando Manoelantsoa found the bottom corner with a shot from the edge of the box. By half time, this lead was 3-0 thanks to errors by goalkeeper Diallo. But Mauritania weren’t out of it, and they pulled one back through Mohamed M’Bareck’s low finish. Razafindrakoto’s own goal brought them to within one goal, and they earned a 3-3 draw when Djiby Samba ran onto a long ball and finished well.
First leg
Mauritania started this match as strong favourites with the bookies, but found themselves behind after 4 minutes when Ando Manoelantsoa found the bottom corner with a shot from the edge of the box. By half time, this lead was 3-0 thanks to errors by goalkeeper Diallo. But Mauritania weren’t out of it, and they pulled one back through Mohamed M’Bareck’s low finish. Razafindrakoto’s own goal brought them to within one goal, and they earned a 3-3 draw when Djiby Samba ran onto a long ball and finished well.
Second leg
Madagascar were much the better side in the opening draw away from home, and once again they started well, opening the scoring when a low shot from Ramiadamanana (people from Madagascar appear to love the vowel ‘a’ – their capital is Antananarivo) crept in below Diallo. It was soon two through Razafindrakoto as Madagascar led 2-0 at the break. This time there was no Mauritanian comeback as Ramiadamanana completed his hat-trick to seal an impressive 4-0 win.
African Qualifying Round 1 summary
Madagascar were much the better side in the opening draw away from home, and once again they started well, opening the scoring when a low shot from Ramiadamanana (people from Madagascar appear to love the vowel ‘a’ – their capital is Antananarivo) crept in below Diallo. It was soon two through Razafindrakoto as Madagascar led 2-0 at the break. This time there was no Mauritanian comeback as Ramiadamanana completed his hat-trick to seal an impressive 4-0 win.
African Qualifying Round 1 summary
Next time
So we have our eleven winners from the first round of African qualifying, who will join 19 seeded teams in the battle to make the group stages. With two-legged play-offs here and in the next round, this is a particularly brutal qualifying process with little room for errors. Next time we start the Asian qualifying campaign with a tasty group containing the likes of Australia and Japan.
So we have our eleven winners from the first round of African qualifying, who will join 19 seeded teams in the battle to make the group stages. With two-legged play-offs here and in the next round, this is a particularly brutal qualifying process with little room for errors. Next time we start the Asian qualifying campaign with a tasty group containing the likes of Australia and Japan.