Madagascar 2, Ghana 1 Player of the Match: Malagasy and CFFA right-winger Solomampionona Razafindranaivo Ghana’s Sunday match against a Madagascar side tipped to bounce out in the group stage proved to be a historical upset. Madagscar’s 2-1 win over Ghana, one of the favorites to win the tournament, is their first-ever win at an African Nations Championship. An early goal from CFFA winger Solomampionona Razafindranaivo and Fosa Juniors striker Tokinantenaina Olivier‘s second-half goal gave Madagascar an unsurmountable lead.
com/acUMbGVpKW — James Nalton (@JDNalton) January 16, 2023 Despite losing the match, it seemed like Ghana controlled the tempo of the matchup. They held 63% possession and launched 17 shots toward the Malagasy goal. But, as we saw with Ethiopia when they could not take home all three points, Ghana could not convert their great chances into actual goals. “Such things happen in football. It happens in competitions where big teams lose their opening games. We may have lost but we are certainly not out of the competition yet, ” Ghana coach Annor Walker shrugged. Razafindranaivo was magnificent throughout the match.
Watch out for him as the 28-year-old works his way into the tournament’s later stages. Elsewhere, Ethiopia’s right-winger Amanuel Gebremichael, Ethiopian center-back Million Solomon, and rising Mozambican keeper Víctor Guambe all impressed in front of a disappointed Algiers crowd. DR Congo 0, Uganda 0 Player of the Match: Ugandan and SC Villa center-back Geoffrey Wasswa DR Congo and Uganda toiled to a scoreless draw. Some described it as a dreary, boring match. They may be right; the game only had two total shots on target.
ALGERIA TAKE THE LEAD FROM THE SPOT! 🎯 1-0 🍟 Algeria 🆚 Libya 📺 LIVE NOW for FREE on beIN SPORTS XTRA #TotalEnergiesCHAN2022 @CAF_Online pic. twitter. com/aywRQ5jMH4 — beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) January 13, 2023 Other players who had a good game include ES Setif’s Ahmed Kendouci(target for Rangers and Celtic who leads the league in goals with eight in 15 games), who forced the bad backpass, and USM Alger’s Zineddine Belaïd, who was excellent throughout the entire game. For Libya, rising Al Ahli SC defender Muayid Jabbour and Al-Nasr Benghazi legend Ali Salama(seventh-most caps in Libyan history) impressed. Ethiopia 0, Mozambique 0 Player of the Match: Ethiopian and Saint George SA center midfielder Gatoch Panom The second match of the African Nations Championship ended in surprise and sorrow for the Ethiopian team.
Senegal 1, Ivory Coast 0 Player of the Match: Senegalese and Génération Foot center midfielder Lamine Camara Senegal topped Group B of the African Nations Championship in a thrilling 1-0 victory over their West African rivals Ivory Coast. Although it started off competitively, Senegal slowly but surely ushered their dominance. ASC Jaaraf midfielder Moussa Ndiaye (not the Anderlecht defender) prevented parity let in the game when he tapped in a free kick that hit the bar. Senegal dominated the match, but without ASEC Mimosas prodigy and Ivorian midfielder Mohamed Zougrana, the scoreline could have been closer to 4-0.
Not only was the dynamic Camara the catalyst for several counter-attacks with some clean passes, but he also generated great opportunities by himself. He drew and took the free kick Ndiaye scored from, missed a penalty, and had two passes that led to shots. GOAAAAAAAL! ⚽️ 🎯 SENEGAL TAKES THE LEAD! The goal is given after checking the VAR 0-1 🍟 Ivory Coast 🆚 Senegal 📺 LIVE NOW for FREE on beIN SPORTS XTRA #TotalEnergiesCHAN2022 #CIVSEN @CAF_Online pic. com/CSa8bKW12O — beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) January 14, 2023 Other talents in the match included the teenage goalscorer Ndiaye, Génération Foot defender Cheikhou Ndiaye, and FC San Pedro talent Abdramane Konate in the Ivory Coast.
Experienced Belouizdad wing-back Mokhtar Belkhiter and USM Alger winger Meziane Bentahar wreaked havoc on the wings. They overloaded the flanks, completed short, quick passes, and stretched out the defense to create great chances. The man of the match is, of course, Mahious. The USM Alger striker has had three goals in 15 Algeria Ligue 1 appearances and added another in CAF Confederation Cup qualifying. He continued his decent form abroad for Algeria when he pounced on a poor Libyan back pass, forcing a dirty slide tackle from the Libyan keeper. Mahious cleanly slotted his penalty into the bottom left corner, bouncing up like Jorginho to send the goalie the wrong way.
TP Mazembe center-back and Congo defender Kevin Mondeko was elite, and Vipers midfielder Marvin Youngman pulled the strings for an unlucky Ugandan squad. An exciting Ugandan talent to watch out for in their upcoming match against Senegal is Wakiso Giants FC and CECAFA U-20 Championship Player of the Tournament midfielder Titus Ssematimba. He played 35 minutes as a substitute but did not impact the game with his limited time on the pitch.
A late Ghana goal from Asante Kotoko talent Augustine Agyapong could not salvage a point for a Ghana side that will have a harder chance of getting to the knockout rounds now. Tournament debutants Madagascar defeated Ghana in the African Nations Championship yesterday. Winger Tokinantenaina Olivier of Fosa Juniors FC scored the second goal in a 2-1 win and was named Man of the Match 🇲🇬⚽️ pic.
The right winger helped establish an early lead with his 10th-minute goal. He did magnificently to get on the inside of Ghanaian defender Dennis Nkrumah-Korsah, and although his first shot was weak, the rebound was great. The CFFA attacker, who scored in the first qualifying rounds of the CAF Champions League, was everywhere in the match. His physicality helped hold up the ball, giving Madagascar some brief but impactful time on the ball. Razafindranaivo even dropped deep into the midfield, getting three vital tackles to help Madagascar secure a much-needed three points. Other players who impressed were the two goalscorers in Agyapong and Olivier. Key Ghanaian midfielder David Abagna of Real Tamale United and Hearts of Oak wingback Dennis Korsah were all solid despite their loss Mali 3, Angola 3 Player of the Match: Angolan and Petro de Luanda center-forward Depú The first true thriller of the African Nations Championship came in Angola’s 3-3 draw with Mali.