CAF WCQ: Morocco Book Final Round Ticket

CAF WCQ: Morocco Book Final Round Ticket By Omolagba Oluwayemi Morocco on Tuesday became the second team after Senegal to book their place in the final qualifier series for the Qatar 2022 World, BSNSports.com.ng reports. The Atlas Lions outclassed Guinea 4-1 in a rescheduled matchday 2 Group I match played in Rabat, Morocco the adopted home ground of Guinea who were the home team on the evening. Substitute Selim Amallah brace, Ayoub El Kaabi opener and another sub Sofiane Boufal acrobatic kick were enough to give Morocco their fourth win in as many matches, while Mamadou Kane scored Guinea’s consolation goal. The win took Morocco to maximum 12 points, eight more than second-place Guinea Bissau with two games remaining, as the Atlas Lions joined Senegal in the final round scheduled in March 2022. Meanwhile, South Africa went back on top of Group G after a nervy 1-0 win over Ethiopia on Tuesday, as they kept their hopes of a place at the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup on track. The win at home takes Bafana Bafana to 10 points, one ahead of second placed Ghana who had earlier beaten Zimbabwe via the same margin. An own goal from Ethiopia skipper Getaneh Kebede in the first half was the luck the South Africans needed to keep their chase for a World Cup spot alive. Kebede turned the ball into his own net in the 10th minute of the game as he attempted to cut away a header from Victor Letsoalo who had risen to meet a corner from Yusuf Maart. Ethiopia almost equalized in the 17th minute when Mesud Musa cited space from range and took a cracking effort at goal, but it skipped inches over the bar. Seven minutes later, they came very close again when Abubaker Nasser took a shot on the half turn but the effort went wide again. In Niamey, African champions Algeria recorded their 31st unbeaten match after beating hosts Niger 4-0 to go level on points with Burkina Faso in Group A and taking the lead on goal aggregate. Captain Riyad Mahrez provided an assist for Baghdad Bounedjah and scored one with Islam Slimani, and Ismael Bennacer scoring the other three. On a day that Senegal picked the lone ticket to the final qualification round from Group H, Congo and Togo were merely playing for pride and it was the Sparrow Hawks who picked the win away from home, claiming a 2-1 victory. Meme Placca’s strong header from a freekick three minutes to the break gave Togo a 1-0 half time lead. However, the hosts fought back in the second half and equalized in the 71st minute through Guy Mbenza. However, the joy of an equalizer and the hope of a winner were dashed just six minutes later when Ahoueke Steeve Denkey scored the winner for Togo.