We're onto the second of five groups in the final round of qualifying in Africa. Nigeria have already come through in Group A:
We now move onto Group B. South Africa are heavy favourites here. However, Ivory Coast have the potential to challenge. Central African Republic (CAR) and Cape Verde may find qualification beyond them, although a more realistic aim would be finishing 2nd, and getting into the play-offs.
Matchday 1
It was not a convincing start for South Africa, as they laboured to a goalless draw at home to Cape Verde - on paper the easiest match of the group. Ivory Coast therefore took an early lead in the group as they put CAR away with a 3-0 victory.
Matchday 1
It was not a convincing start for South Africa, as they laboured to a goalless draw at home to Cape Verde - on paper the easiest match of the group. Ivory Coast therefore took an early lead in the group as they put CAR away with a 3-0 victory.
Matchday 2
South Africa sprung into life with a 5-0 win over CAR, with Khama Billiat notching a hat-trick. But a Constant Djakpa penalty was enough for Ivory Coast to stay top of the table with a 1-0 win over Cape Verde.
South Africa sprung into life with a 5-0 win over CAR, with Khama Billiat notching a hat-trick. But a Constant Djakpa penalty was enough for Ivory Coast to stay top of the table with a 1-0 win over Cape Verde.
Matchday 3
The top two clashed in Johannesburg, a great chance for South Africa to move into top spot, but a fairly tepid match finished 0-0. In the clash between the bottom two, CAR opened the scoring following a defensive mix-up, but within four minutes they were 2-1 behind, and that was how it stayed.
The top two clashed in Johannesburg, a great chance for South Africa to move into top spot, but a fairly tepid match finished 0-0. In the clash between the bottom two, CAR opened the scoring following a defensive mix-up, but within four minutes they were 2-1 behind, and that was how it stayed.
Here is the halfway table:
The 5-0 win over CAR means South Africa need Ivory Coast to slip up just once, although they are only a point ahead of Cape Verde, a situation few people would have anticipated.
Matchday 4
Bakary Koné notched a hat-trick as Ivory Coast eased past CAR 3-0, and South Africa kept up the pace with the same scoreline victory over Cape Verde, whose challenge for a top two spot may have suffered a fatal blow.
Matchday 4
Bakary Koné notched a hat-trick as Ivory Coast eased past CAR 3-0, and South Africa kept up the pace with the same scoreline victory over Cape Verde, whose challenge for a top two spot may have suffered a fatal blow.
Matchday 5
Ricardo Nascimento had missed a penalty against Cape Verde, but stepped up again against CAR and this time put it away to get South Africa off to a good start. They doubled their lead through José Alí Meza, and a 2-0 win was secured. And it was enough for them to go top of the table, as Ivory Coast finally did slip up, drawing 0-0 at home to Cape Verde.
This is the table going into the final round of games:
Ricardo Nascimento had missed a penalty against Cape Verde, but stepped up again against CAR and this time put it away to get South Africa off to a good start. They doubled their lead through José Alí Meza, and a 2-0 win was secured. And it was enough for them to go top of the table, as Ivory Coast finally did slip up, drawing 0-0 at home to Cape Verde.
This is the table going into the final round of games:
With Ivory Coast hosting South Africa in the final round of games, this is perfectly poised. A draw will be enough for South Africa, and 0-0 seems the most likely scoreline given that neither team has conceded a single goal yet.
Matchday 6
Ivory Coast started strongly, and in the 22nd minute Brahima Ouattara put them ahead, getting onto the end of a loose ball in the box. This was doubled 10 minutes later as Wilfried Bony headed home. Ivory Coast continued to have the better of the game, although South Africa halved the deficit when Sibusiso Vilakazi finished a well-worked move. However, this goal was in the 92nd minute, and Ivory Coast held on to confirm their DWC debut! In the other game, a late penalty earned CAR their first point of the group in a 1-1 draw with Cape Verde.
Matchday 6
Ivory Coast started strongly, and in the 22nd minute Brahima Ouattara put them ahead, getting onto the end of a loose ball in the box. This was doubled 10 minutes later as Wilfried Bony headed home. Ivory Coast continued to have the better of the game, although South Africa halved the deficit when Sibusiso Vilakazi finished a well-worked move. However, this goal was in the 92nd minute, and Ivory Coast held on to confirm their DWC debut! In the other game, a late penalty earned CAR their first point of the group in a 1-1 draw with Cape Verde.
The final table:
A great result for Ivory Coast, who started the DWC qualification campaign ranked 94th in the world. History hasn't been kind to African teams in the DWC, but just to qualify is a huge achievement. South Africa are the only solo African nation to have made the knockout stages (a combined North Africa side made the last 16 in 2017), but they will need to navigate two sets of play-offs if they are to even qualify this year.
Next time we're going to see how the fourth round of qualifying goes in North America, as the big teams join the six that qualified through the knockout stages.
Next time we're going to see how the fourth round of qualifying goes in North America, as the big teams join the six that qualified through the knockout stages.