CAN 2023 : Challenging Start For Some Big Wigs

While some household names in continental football struggled to prove their superiority as they kicked off the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire, others had their heads low in the face of some teams often considered to be under-dogs. This are the cases of Ghana, Nigeria and Egypt.
Seven-time champions of Africa, The Pharaohs of Egypt were held to a 2-2 draw against Mozambique in their opening group B game of the competition on Sunday January 14, 2024. It took just two minutes for Egypt to get into the lead thanks to Mohamed Mostafa’s strike. Witness Quembo headed home the equalizer for Mozambique. Three minutes later, Clesio Bauque added Mozambique’s second putting the most capped team, Egypt on a tight corner. Egypt’s captain, Mohammed Salah scored late from the penalty spot to rescue his team from a Mozambique shock.  This was the fourth encounter between Egypt and Mozambique at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. The previous three meetings all produced a 2-0 group stage victory for Egypt. Contrary to Egypt that is at its 26th appearance in the AFCON, Mozambique is at its 5th appearance. Sundays result thus came as a surprise to many.
Another shock in Group B is Ghana’s 1-2 defeat against the Cape Verdeans. Ghana has won the trophy four times and its 24th appearance in the prestigious competition while Cape Verde is just at its fourth participation with no trophy in the cupboard. The victory on Sunday was therefore an upset in the competition, making the Black Stars to kick-off the showpiece on t...