CHAN 2022: Mali, Cameroon, DR Congo among the big disappointments
Much was expected of Mali, Cameroon and DR Congo in Algeria, but none lived up to their billing. All three went out at the first stage.
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Mali met their match
At a press conference, Mali coach Nouhoum Diané talked up his side, insisting there was no stronger team than his group at CHAN 2022 in Algeria. On the pitch at the Milou Hadefi Olympic Stadium on Wednesday 24 January, Group D underdogs Mauritania proved him wrong. Led by experienced Comorian coach Amir Abdou, the Mourabitounes matched the Eagles and got the better of them (1-0), picking up their first win in a CHAN in three appearances and reaching the quarter-finals for the first time.
Read also: CHAN 2022: what to take from the group stage
Their qualification came at the expense of Mali, who are out at the first hurdle. It must be said that Nouhoum Diané's men were a little too complacent in this tournament to hope for better. They had already looked unrecognisable in the first half of their match against Angola (3-1 down at the break), before coming back out with better intent in the second half (3-3). Against a well-organised Mauritania side who were strong in the duels, the Eagles, two-time CHAN runners-up (2016 and 2021), ran out of ideas to tilt the game in their favour.
Cameroon sink themselves
Cameroon had their fate in their own hands before facing Niger on the third and final matchday of Group F, which contained only three teams. Top of the group going into the match with three points, the Indomitable Lions needed just a draw to book their place in the quarter-finals. But in the end they suffered a fatal defeat (1-0) to Niger's Mena, who knocked them out of the tournament in Algeria.
Yet CHAN 2022 had started well for Alioum Saidou's men, with a win over Congo (1-0) on the first matchday. But after that they had to wait eight days before returning to action, having been given a bye on matchday 2. That long break surely played its part in their poor showing against Niger, even if it was not the only cause.
DR Congo toil
Two-time CHAN winners in 2009 and 2016, DR Congo are a long way from their glory days in African domestic football. The proof: the Leopards endured a dismal CHAN, scoring 0 goals in their group (B) matches. Worse, they were sickeningly wasteful technically in their various outings. If their attack was painful to watch, the defence was overrun against Senegal (3-0) on the third and final matchday of the group stage. And with just two points on the board after draws against Uganda (0-0, matchday 1) and Ivory Coast (0-0, matchday 2), the Congolese had no real hope of reaching the next round. Their elimination is more than logical.