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Sadio Mane saved Senegal from a 97th minute penalty to beat Zimbabwe 1-0 in the African Cup of Nations on Monday. Morocco won their first heavyweight match with a final goal to beat Ghana, even 1-0.
Both games did not create high-quality football, although they were competitors for three titles, but they did not disappoint many Cameroonian fans, both of whom played in front of a small crowd.
Poor attendance when the host nation does not play is a permanent problem for the Africa Cup of Nations. This year, only people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and can prove negative evidence of virus testing are admitted to the stadiums. Strict restrictions were introduced late due to the omicron variant, which could be even smaller than the normal crowd.
Crowds will also account for 60% of the stadium’s capacity in all non-home games. None of the stadiums used for the four matches of the second day of the tournament were 60% full.
Senegal, the top-ranked team in Africa, opened their campaign without beating a Zimbabwean team that was ranked 101st in Group B. However, it was a victory because Senegal won without goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and captain Kalidou Coulibaly, who tested positive for the virus.
The Cameroonian host has won the African Cup while opening in the shadow of viruses
Other teams also performed without key players due to positive virus testing, as many had to do during the month-long tournament. Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nice midfielder Mario Lemina were missing Christmas in their last match of the day in a 1-0 win over the Comoros.
All matches ended 1-0, with Guinea beating Malawi in another match.
Mané sent a foul on goalkeeper Petros Mhari and punched his very late penalty in the left corner at Kouekong Stadium in the western city of Bafoussam in Cameroon. The Liverpool striker took his chance after Zimbabwe midfielder Kelvin Madzongwe was penalized for a handball in the fourth minute when the match suddenly ended in a drama.
Zimbabwe protested loudly, but Guatemalan Judge Mario Escobar upheld his decision after citing a video review used for the first time in every African Cup match. Madzongwe knocked home the 3 – 0 goal just outside the reach of the goalkeeper.
A first-half goal from Sylla Issiaga gave Guinea victory in another Group B match against Malawi, who remained on the same pitch as Senegal-Zimbabwe.
Morocco-Ghana looked 0-0 at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde when Sofiane Boufal suddenly bounced off a Ghanaian defender with a loose ball in the 83rd minute of Morocco in the first match of Group C.
Ghanaian captain Andre Ayew wrapped his head around his head and blew a bandage after a head-on collision with Moroccan skipper Romain Saiss.
Koulibaly from Senegal test positive ahead of the opening of the COVID-19 Nations Cup
Christmas striker Aaron Boupendza advanced in the absence of Aubameyang to break the Christmas winner’s left foot on the roof of the net from a narrow angle. Boupendza celebrated with a wheel and a backflip and got what Christmas needed without his two best players from the opening game.
There have been outbreaks of many of the 24 teams and it looks like the African Cup of Soldiers is through the soldiers. In an update on tournament rules due to the virus, the African Football Confederation has said that teams must meet at least 11 healthy and available players, even if it means they will have no substitutes.
The positives, that is, the tests, continued to come on Monday, when the Egyptian football federation tested positive for President Gamal Allam while he was in Cameroon. He had no symptoms and all the players tested negative, the federation said.
Egypt and Mohamed Salah will start the tournament against Nigeria on Tuesday in another heavyweight meeting of the former champions.
The Cameroon Africa Cup of Nations opened on Sunday when the host team beat Burkina Faso 2-1, ending a three-year wait for the Central African nation. Cameroon was stripped of its right to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and in 2021 saw a second chance delayed by a year due to the pandemic.
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