AFCON 2023 (Q): the disappointments of the qualifying campaign
Now that all 24 qualified teams for AFCON 2023 are known, Sport News Africa looks at the disappointments of the qualifiers.
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Gabon, the big disappointment
Among the 24 teams qualified for AFCON 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire, there will be no Gabon. Led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who made his return to the national team to be the saviour of the Panthers, they failed to reach their objective. In Group I, Patrice Neveu's side were completely off the pace in the second half of the campaign, losing all 3 of their games. As well as losing to DR Congo and Mauritania, their direct rivals for qualification, the defeat that stings most was the one against Sudan, who finished bottom of the group. The elimination is likely to shake up the squad, closing a chapter with a generation that is expected to turn its back on the team.
Benin fall short
Benin and Gernot Rohr disappointed in Group L. Even though top spot was always going to go to Senegal, the Cheetahs failed to get past Mozambique, who ended up qualifying for AFCON 2023. Despite Mounié's goals, the Beninese lacked the quality to do better, taking 1 defeat and 3 draws from their last 4 games in this group. These were very poor results for Gernot Rohr, whose position as national team coach is under threat in the coming weeks.
Read more on the same subject: AFCON 2023 (Q): what to take from the qualifiers
Congo sabotage themselves
Béni Makouana is likely to have nightmares about his miss from in front of an empty net in the match against Gambia. What could have been a ticket to AFCON 2023 turned into elimination, as Gambia went on to score and secure their place in Côte d’Ivoire. It is another disappointment for Congo, who will once again miss the AFCON, having last taken part in 2015.