Zimbabwe Lead Continental Drama in AFCON Qualifiers
The journey toward the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations launched in dramatic fashion on Thursday, delivering non-stop excitement, late plot twists, and stunning performances across the continent. While heavyweights like Cameroon recorded convincing victories, it was Zimbabwe’s jaw-dropping fightback in North Africa that stole the spotlight as the opening round concluded.
Zimbabwe Overturn 2-0 Deficit to Stun Sierra Leone
In the most thrilling fixture of the matchday, Zimbabwe pulled off an extraordinary comeback, recovering from two goals down to claim a 3–2 victory over Sierra Leone at the Stade El Abdi.
Sierra Leone appeared in full control during the first half. Alie Conteh opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a quick header before Sallieu Tarawallie doubled the lead in the 27th minute, taking advantage of a shaky Warriors defense.
However, Zimbabwe transformed in the second period:
In the 72nd minute, Marshall Munetsi pulled one back to kickstart the revival.
76th minute, Tawanda Chirewa leveled the score just four minutes later with a slick finish.
Munetsi completed his brace in the 88th minute, arriving late in the box to turn in a cross from the left and snatch all three points.
Round-Up Across the Continent
Cameroon 3–1 Comoros:
The Indomitable Lions produced a commanding performance in Garoua. David Ningo opened the scoring, followed by Manchester United’s Bryan Mbeumo and a late strike from Danny Namaso to extinguish any chance of a Comoros comeback.
Mauritania 3–1 Central African Republic:
Mauritania kicked off Group F with a flourish. Aboubakary Koïta converted an early penalty, but the highlight of the match came from Dawda Camara, who scored a sublime chipped effort over the keeper to secure the win.
DR Congo 2–0 Equatorial Guinea:
Chancel Mbemba set the tone with a fourth-minute header before Yoane Wissa rounded off a professional display to send DR Congo to the top of their group.
Tunisia 1–1 Uganda:
The Cranes showed immense resilience away from home in Radès, digging deep to restrict the Eagles of Carthage to a single goal and holding on for a valuable away point.
Libya 2–2 Botswana:
Late madness unfolded in Tripoli as Botswana gave away a penalty in second-half stoppage time, allowing Ezoo El Mariamy to step up and rescue a 94th-minute point for the hosts.
Namibia 1–0 Republic of the Congo: A solitary strike from Bethuel Muzeu was all Namibia needed to claim three hard-fought points.
Ivory Coast 2-0 Ghana:
Ivory Coast kicked off their AFCON qualification campaign with a comfortable 2–0 victory over West African rivals Ghana at the Stade de Bouaké. The Elephants established early control with 61% possession, taking the lead in the 44th minute when debutant Malick Yalcouyé fired home a long-range strike that caught Black Stars goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi off guard at his near post. Ghana struggled to generate any momentum in the absence of key attackers, failing to record a shot on target until late in the second half. The host side doubled their advantage in the 58th minute after Yalcouyé was fouled inside the box, allowing captain Franck Kessié to calmly step up and convert the penalty to seal a dominant clean-sheet win.
