Day 1 of the Africa Cup of Nations U23 continued on Sunday after Saturday's kick-off. In Pool A, Ghana outclassed the DRC, but not without a few scares. In Pool B, Egypt and Niger played out a 0-0 draw in the first hour. In the second hour, Mali overcame Gabon (3-1) to take sole possession of top spot in their group.
A crazy second half between Ghana and Congo
The Ghana-Congo clash produced a lacklustre first half, with very few clear goal scoring opportunities and a goalless draw at the end of the 45 minutes. The Blacks Starlets came back with better intentions in the second half. Ernest Nuamah opened the scoring in the 50th minute. Emmanuel Yeboah doubled the lead in the 75th minute. Yeboah scored the third from the penalty spot (83rd minute). Congo fought back in stoppage time, scoring two goals in quick succession in the 93rd and 94th minutes through Reich Triomphe Kokolo and Yanne Goeffrey Kouori Ngatse. The final score was 3-2.
Ghana clinically managed to convert their 3 shots on target in this match. They are therefore top of Group A, level on points with Morocco. These two teams have got their tournament off to a good start. They meet on Tuesday 27 June at 8pm. Congo, for their part, will face Guinea in the survival match on the same day at 5pm GMT.
Pool B: Egypt and Niger share the spoils
In the 1st match of Pool B, defending champions Egypt and Niger played out a 0-0 draw. Egypt dominated the 2 periods. In the first half, possession was 59% compared with 41% for the Pharaohs. In terms of the number of chances, too, the Reds were favoured by the statistics, with 9 shots on target and 2 on target compared with 1 and 0 on target for Niger. The second half dropped off a gear. But Egypt dominated with their fists, with another 8 shots attempted and 1 on target. Niger, meanwhile, were solid defensively and only attempted one shot on target in the second half.
Mali upset Gabon (3-1)
Gabon got off to a flying start. Emmanuel Ovono Essongo opened the scoring from the penalty spot after just three minutes. Mali, who had the upper hand in the game, equalised with another penalty from Mamadou Sangaré (20th). Cheickna Doumbia gave Les Aiglons the lead in the 41st minute. It was a logical advantage given Mali's dominance. Gabon goalkeeper François Junior Békélé was then sent off in first-half stoppage time (40th+7).
Mali added to their tally in stoppage time (90th+2) through Alhassane Tamboura. Mali are alone in 1st place in the group with 3 points, followed by Egypt and Niger with 1 point and Gabon with 0 points. On the next matchday, Wednesday 28 June at 6pm, Egypt take on Mali. Gabon will try to get back on track against Niger in the second hour at 8pm.
3️⃣ matches
9️⃣ goals
3️⃣ penaltiesIt has been quite the day in #TotalEnergiesAFCONU23! Take a look at the results 👇 pic.twitter.com/bORjNOzQHS
— #TotalEnergiesAFCONU23 🏆 (@CAF_Online) June 25, 2023
