There has still not been a scoreless draw at AFCON 2023, as matchday four delivered another round of surprises and late-game heroics as the underdogs continued to ruffle the feathers of more top teams in Cote d’Ivoire.
Two of the games decided on Tuesday were looking destined to end in barren draws before goals came in the dying minutes, giving joy to the winning teams and anguish to the unfortunate losers.
Burkina Faso breaks AFCON jinx
Bertrand Traore converted a stoppage-time penalty to hand Burkina Faso a 1-0 victory over Mauritania in Group D.
This win marked a significant moment for the Burkinabe, as it was their first-ever opening-match victory in the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Before Tuesday’s feat, the Etalons had made 12 unsuccessful attempts to either start their AFCON on losing notes or, at best, with a stalemate.
Traore’s penalty, granted following a foul on Issa Kabore, was the culmination of Burkina Faso’s dominant performance. Despite many attempts, the impressive Mauritania goalkeeper, Hervé Koffi, had consistently thwarted Burkina Faso.
This win puts Burkina Faso at the top of the group after the first round, ahead of Algeria, who were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw by Angola on Monday.
Namibia stun Tunisia for historic win
Deon Hotto’s 88th-minute header sealed a historic 1-0 victory for Namibia against heavily-favoured Tunisia.
The southern African nation, which ranks 87 places below Tunisia, displayed remarkable resilience and created better chances throughout the Group E encounter.
Despite some missed opportunities, Hotto’s late strike secured a well-deserved win for Namibia, marking their first-ever victory in the tournament’s history.
Even though they were playing against the third-highest-ranked country in Africa, Namibia showed more purpose and should have earned a more emphatic victory, with poor decision-making costing them more goals
Mali take control of Group E
Mali made South Africa’s Percy Tau pay for a missed penalty in the first half as they secured a 2-0 win to give them the lead in Group E.
Captain Hamari Traoré opened the scoring after an hour, followed by Lassine Sinayoko’s goal six minutes later. Mali’s resolute defending and clinical finishing saw them overcome a spirited South African performance.
This win puts Mali ahead of Namibia on goal difference, leaving South Africa needing to bounce back in their upcoming matches.
It does not get easier for Bafana Bafana, as they need to win against Namibia to stand any chance of progressing to the second round.
