Day 6 of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers was played out on Friday, September 8. Egypt and Mali maintained their position as favourites, beating Ethiopia (1-0) and South Sudan (4-0) respectively. Burkina Faso, on the other hand, were held to a draw by Eswatini (0-0).
The final day of the CAN 2023 qualifiers kicked off on Thursday September 7, with Ghana and Tanzania securing their tickets for Côte d'Ivoire.There was no suspense in the three matches on the program. At kick-off, it was all over for the teams involved this Friday.
Egypt - Ethiopia (1-0)
Already qualified and assured of finishing top of Group D, the Pharaohs of Egypt finished in style with a 1-0 victory over Ethiopia. With only 37 minutes on the clock, Mohamed Salah's absence was not even felt, as interim player Mostafa Fathy scored the only goal of the game. Enough for the CAN 2021 finalists to finish these qualifiers with 15 points, ahead of Guinea (9 points), Ethiopia (4 points) and Malawi (4 points).
Mali - South Sudan (4-0)
With fifteen goals scored in these 2023 qualifiers, Mali is not one to be trifled with.Mali's fine young team beat South Sudan. Almeria new boy Ibrahima Koné opened the scoring (10th), before Kamory Doumbia followed suit twice (29th, 57th). Largely dominated, the Sudanese went down even further after Nene Dorgeles' last goal (82nd). Eric Chelle's men now finish top of Group D with 15 points, ahead of Gambia (9 points), Congo (6 points) and South Sudan (3 points).
Burkina Faso - Botswana (0-0)
With the opportunity to finish top of Group B, the Etalons disappointed with a draw against Eswatini (0-0). Despite dominating the game with 18 shots on target and a high level of possession (67%), Burkina Faso (1st, 11 points) were clumsy in the final third. This setback could benefit Cape Verde (2nd, 10 points), who face Togo (3rd, 5 points). For Eswatini (4th, 3 points), this point is of little consequence given their winless run.
