By Ghanaman
On 12th October 2023 when the final draw was held at the Parc des Expositions d’Abidjan in Abidjan to determine the composition of the 6 different groups for the 34th edition of the African Cup of Nations, little did anyone anticipate the sort of shock that has characterized the tournament thus far.
The elaborate event had Senegalese-American musician Akon as host while African football legends Didier Drogba and Mikel John Obi conducted the draws with help from current internationals Sadio Mané and Achraf Hakimi.
The bookmakers had tipped both Egypt and Ghana to qualify from Group B with ease, while Cape Verde and Mozambique were to struggle for the spots below their more prestigious companions.
However, barely two weeks into the ongoing tournament in The Ivory Coast, none of the traditional heavyweights have been able to win their group.
In Group A, it is Equatorial Guinea that finished at the summit after amassing 7 points from its 3 matches, including a 4-0 bashing of the hosts on Monday night to leave them hanging by a thread, with Nigeria settling for 2nd spot.
Group B is even more dramatic as Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks bit The Pharoahs of Egypt so hard and very late in the game to snatch a 2-2 draw to retain top spot, while almost sending the 7-time champions back to Cairo.
In the other game of the group, Ghana were in the driving seat for large spells of the encounter, courtesy of 2 well dispatched spot kicks by Jordan Ayew. But the Mambas of Mozambique had other ideas, crawling from 2 goals down to level the scores in added time to dim the light of The Black Stars.
The 2 miserly points earned by the 4-time Afcon winners leave them in a very precarious position in the race to sneak into the Round of 16 as one of the 4 best 3rd-placed teams.
So, what permutations will come into play if the Black Stars are to extend their stay in Ivory Coast? Let’s sink our teeth into the crux of the matter below.
As things stand, The Ivory Coast (3pts), Namibia (3pts), Algeria (2pts) and Zambia (pts) are all ahead of Ghana in the pecking order, with Cameroon (1pt) the only team behind them.
The deciding matches to determine their fate are Gambia vs Cameroon, Mauritania vs Algeria and Morocco vs Zambia.
A draw is the most favourable outcome the Ghanaians would be hoping for in the matchup between Gambia (0pt) and Cameroon (1pt) as a win will elevate either side beyond their reach.
There’s simply nothing they can wish for in the clash between Mauritania (0pt) and Algeria (2pt) because a win will do them no good, while a draw will be good enough for the Fennec Foxes to scale through.
Finally, Ghana will need to get behind the Moroccans (pts), hoping the Atlas Lions are in hungry mode to devour the Chipolopolo Boys of Zambia (2pts), otherwise, a draw will send them packing.
In summary, a draw in The Gambia vs Cameroon match and a defeat for Zambia against Morocco will keep Ghana in the tournament for at least, another round.
What are your thoughts? Do you think these scenarios are feasible?
Let us know in the comment section below.
