With victories on Saturday, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritania, and Mozambique all secured spots in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations AFCON finals.
However, the earthquake in Morocco that claimed more than 1,000 lives overshadowed the sporting events.
The earthquake caused the postponement of Morocco’s Group K match against Liberia but not Sunday’s pivotal Group G match between Gambia and Congo in Marrakech.
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The earthquake, which was measured by the USGS at a magnitude of 6.8 with an epicentre about 72 km southwest of the city, caused damage to buildings in Marrakech.
The Congo and Gambia teams spent the night camped out next to their respective hotel pools after being forced to leave their hotel rooms when the earthquake struck on Friday.
The players were traumatised, according to the two coaches, and they were not in the mood to play in the match, which Congo must win to advance to the finals in January in Ivory Coast while Gambia needs a draw.
However, the Confederation of African Football has instructed the teams to proceed.
With victories at home, DR Congo defeated Sudan 2-0 and Mauritania defeated 10-man Gabon 2-1 to guarantee first- and second-place finishes in Group I.
The aspirations of Gabon, who had Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back in their squad after reversing his international retirement, were dashed by DR Congo’s 12 points and Mauritania’s 10 points.
Goalkeeper Jean Noel Amonome received a red card in the fifth minute for elbowing an opponent, putting Gabon on the defensive for the majority of the game.
Theo Bongonda, a former junior international for Belgium, scored the first goal for the Congolese team in Kinshasa after eight minutes, and Fiston Mayele added a late second.
Earlier on Saturday, Mozambique secured their spot by defeating Benin 3-2 at home in Maputo.
Despite making a mess of a game they just needed to draw to advance as runners-up in Group L behind holders Senegal, Mozambique is in the finals for the first time since 2010.
However, after falling behind 1-0, they rallied to win thanks to a late goal from replacement Clesio Bauque.
With two teams from Burundi, Cameroon, and Namibia moving on, there are now only three spots left to be filled in the finals on Sunday between Gambia and Congo and two spots from Group C, which closes on Tuesday.
Other finalists are Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, the Cape Verde Islands, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Zambia in addition to hosts Ivory Coast and Saturday’s successful trio.