By James Robert Kayindi
Match day 2 of the 2015 AFCON qualifiers saw disappointments right from group A where 2013 champions Nigeria (Supper Eagles) settled for a goalless draw during their visit to South Africa. In the same group Congo Brazzaville registered their second win (2-0) over Sudan to send them top of group A.
In group B, Malawi beat Ethiopia (3-2) to clinch their first victory of the campaign as Africa’s number one (according to the August FIFA rankings), the Desert Foxes of Algeria picked maximum points when they beat Mali (1-0).
Burkina Faso continued to show that they are the giants of Group C when they thumped Angola 3-0 to sit top of the group with two points clear as Gabon settled for a one all draw against ten man Lesotho after the sending of their goalie Mohau Koenane in the 36th minute.
In group D, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon proved their indomitableness when they thrashed the Elephants of Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) 4-1 to remain top of the group as second placed DR Congo beat Sierra Leone 2-0 to leave them bottom of group D. Vincent Aboubakar and Clinton N’Jie scored braces for Cameroon.
Despite the eight minute blackout at Namboole, Uganda still silenced Guinea who entered the game while sited top of the group with a 2-0 victory. Thanks to Masa’s brace, which did not only leave Uganda top of Group E but also enough to maintain the home unbeaten record for 10years since the 1-0 loss to South Africa in 2004. Togo remained at the foot of the group after losing (3-2) to the Black Stars of Ghana thanks to Christian Atsu’s late winner that earned them maximum points to level it with Uganda.
Elsewhere, Cape Verde beat 2011 champions of Zambia (2-1) to sit top of group F as Malawi also left neighbours of Ethiopia pointless at the bottom table. 2004 champions of Tunisia also surprised Egypt when they beat them in Cairo (1-0). Senegal also carried the day over Botswana with a 2-0 margin.
Match day 2 full results:
Group A: South Africa 0-0 Nigeria, Congo Brazzaville 2-0 Sudan
Group B: Malawi 3-2 Ethiopia, Algeria 1-0 Mali
Group C: Burkina Faso 3-0 Angola, Gabon 1-1 Lesotho
Group D: Cameroon 4-1 Ivory Coast, DR Congo 2-0 Sierra Leone
Group E: Uganda 2-0 Guinea Bissau, Togo 2-3 Ghana
Group F: Zambia 1-2 Cape Verde, Mozambique 1-1 Niger
Group G: Senegal 2-0 Botswana, Egypt 0-1 Tunisia
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