* Mali beat Mozambique 1-0 while Zimbabwe drew 1-1 with Kenya also to secure their place
* Zambia, Zimbabwe join fellow COSAFA representatives South Africa and Angola
Maravi Express
In a thrilling night of CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) Morocco 2025 qualifiers, Zambia clinched their place for the coveted finals with a narrow yet crucial 1-0 win over title holders Côte d’Ivoire while Mali and Zimbabwe also confirmed their places in the prestigious tournament following favourable results on Friday.
In Group G, Zambia’s Kennedy Musonda was the hero of the match, scoring from a stunning long-range effort in the 43rd minute. His right-footed strike from over 35 yards sailed into the center of the goal, leaving the Ivorian goalkeeper stranded.
Côte d’Ivoire made changes in the second half, but Zambia’s defense, led by Frankie Musonda, withstood the pressure to hold onto their lead, to lead Group G with 10 points, ensuring their qualification even though Côte d’Ivoire already secured qualification.
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In Group I, Mali displayed their class with a narrow 1-0 victory over, Mozambique at Estádio do Zimpeto.
Yves Bissouma was instrumental in the build-up, assisting Kamory Doumbia, who found the bottom right corner in the 19th minute.
This solitary strike proved sufficient for the Eagles to secure all three points at the expense of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) representatives.
In Group J, COSAFA side, Zimbabwe managed to secure a valuable 1-1 draw against Kenya at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, which was enough to secure their place in the 2025 finals.
Tawanda Maswanhise gave the Warriors a first-half lead, scoring in the 32nd minute after an assist from Khama Billiat, however, Kenya, fought back and found their equalizer early in the second half through Jonah Ayunga.
Zambia and Zimbabwe now join fellow COSAFA representatives South Africa and Angola for the finals while eSwatini drew 1-1 with 3rd-placed Guinea-Bissau in Group I — a result that leaves them at the bottom of the group with just two points ahead of the last qualifier in the next few days.
The result leaves both teams’ qualification prospects uncertain with Guinea-Bissau at five points, needing a win in their final match.
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In Group C, Egypt, already leading the group and qualified traveled to Cape Verde, seeking to extend their dominance and the Pharaohs appeared to be in control when Taher Mohamed broke the deadlock in the 31st minute with a well-taken strike from a tight angle, providing Egypt a deserved lead going into halftime.
Cape Verde, however, showed resilience and found an opportunity to equalize when Mahmoud Saber’s foul led to a penalty, which Ryan Mendes stepped up to convert, calmly sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to level the score in the 63rd minute.
Zambia, Zimbabwe join 15 others who had already qualified — South Africa, Angola, Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Egypt, Senegal and the hosts Morocco.—Content by CAFonline; edited by Maravi Express
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