CHAN
A look at every team Super Eagles-B will face in CHAN 2024 Group Stage
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
For the fifth time in the continental title chase, a Nigerian team will have to face a defending champion at a group stage.
The other instances that the Nigerian national team had to face defending champions in group stages were in the Africa Cup of Nations of 1976, 1984, 2010 and 2013 when the Super Eagles faced Zaire (now DR Congo), Ghana, Egypt and Zambia respectively.
This time at the African Nations Championship, the Super Eagles B have been drawn to play against Senegal who won the last edition in Algeria two years ago.
Senegal
They won the last edition, beating the home team, Algeria in a keenly contested final match that went beyond regulation time and had to be settled by penalty shoot-out.
In winning, Senegal became the first country to simultaneously hold the continental flagship competition, the AFCON and also CHAN.
They extended their dominance to the winning of both the U-20 and U-17 AFCON.
Two of the players who featured in the last edition of CHAN are in the current squad that has again qualified.
They are Serigné Koita and Aboudoulaye Dieng. It is expected that their experience will count a lot for Senegal.
The team is under Coach Souleymane Diallo, a rising coaching figure in Senegalese football.
He had distinguished himself by developing promising talents on the international stage.
Senegal’s Coach Souleymane Diallo
According to information supplied by CAF, Diallo’s record testifies to his ability to combine training and character development in players, making him a key asset in the progression of Senegalese football.
He is distinguished by a pragmatic and balanced tactical approach and a solid and structured defence, built around a compact block.
This defensive organisation is based on strict discipline and fluid communication between the lines.
In the attack, Diallo favours a direct approach. The rapid transition phases are at the heart of his system, exploiting the speed and technicality of his attackers to catch the opposing defences by surprise.
Congo
The Congolese are going to the African Nations Championship for the fifth time in eight editions. They are therefore a step ahead of Nigeria in terms of attendance.
They were quarter-finalists in 2018 and 2020. The team is nicknamed the Red Devils.
The team’s head coach is Barthélémy Ngatsono. The player to watch is Chelcy Bonazebi, the team’s goalkeeper.
Almost a replica of Nigeria’s legendary Emmanuel Okala, Bonazebi stands at 1.97m and has exceptional reflexes. He is just slightly shorter than Okala who is 1.98m.
Just like Okala in those days, Bonazebi is known for his commanding aerial ability and excellent game reading. His calm demeanour under pressure and ability to organize the backline has been a major factor in Congo’s qualification.
Sudan
The team is known as Falcons of Jediane. Like Nigeria, the Sudanese are going to the African Nations Championship for the fourth time. Their best outing has been at the 2011 and 2018 edition when they finished third.
In Nigeria’s march to the title match of 2018, the Super Eagles eliminated Sudan in the semi-final after a hard-fought 1-0 win. Great thanks to Gabriel Okechukwu’s 16th-minute strike.
The team is being handled by Ghana’s Kwesi Appiah who achieved a double by also qualifying Sudan’s main national team for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana’s Coach Kwesi Appian steering Sudan to great heights
Appiah previously coached several clubs, such as the Ghanaian outfit Asante Kotoko and the Sudanese club Khartoum between 2014 and 2017, where he achieved remarkable success.
Former Ghana international Appiah coached Ghana from 2012 to 2014 and played a big role in their qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
He led them for a second time too between 2017 and 2020. Apart from the tactical approach of Kwesi Appiah , the Nigerian team will have to watch out for Mohamed Abdel Rahman ‘Al-Ghorbal’, a striker of the Sudanese club Al-Hilal.
He is the most prominent player in the Sudanese national team and the third-highest scorer for Sudan.
Rahman has a lot of experience due to his experience with clubs in Sudan and abroad, which will undoubtedly benefit the Falcons of Jediane during the 2024 CHAN finals.
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The valuable away goal that Egypt scored in the first leg of their CHAN qualifiers with South Africa counted for nothing as they crumbled miserably 3-1 at home on Sunday.
Although the Africa Nations Championship is on its eighth edition, Egypt, a record seven times Africa Cup of Nations winner, has never featured in the CHAN.
Egypt’s hopes of qualifying for the first time in the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) ended abruptly after a disappointing 3-1 home defeat to South Africa at the Suez Canal Stadium.
Having secured a vital 1-1 draw in the first leg away in South Africa last Sunday, courtesy of Mohamed Antar’s volley, Egypt failed to build on their away-goal advantage and succumbed to a 4-2 aggregate defeat.
South Africa started aggressively, hitting Egypt’s post through Craig Weaver in the fourth minute before eventually taking the lead ten minutes later. Maema capitalized on a defensive error inside the penalty area, slotting home comfortably to put the visitors ahead.
Egypt survived another scare in the 24th minute when Maema’s shot again hit the woodwork. Just three minutes later, however, Mfolozi doubled South Africa’s lead after a deflected cross fell kindly at his feet for an easy finish.
Mohamed El-Sayed briefly reignited Egyptian hopes, reducing the deficit with a deft finish from a precise cross delivered by Sayed Abdullah in the 31st minute, making the halftime score 2-1.
The hosts’ chances of mounting a comeback faded shortly after the restart when goalkeeper Mahmoud Abu Al-Saud conceded a penalty for fouling a South African forward. Luthuli confidently converted the resulting penalty in the 51st minute, restoring the two-goal cushion.
Despite tactical adjustments and several attacking substitutions by Egypt, the home side struggled to threaten South Africa’s composed defense. South Africa comfortably controlled the remainder of the match, securing their passage to the next round.
South Africa will now face Malawi, who advanced by overcoming Comoros with a decisive 4-0 aggregate victory.
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Gabon’s hopes of progressing in the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers were dashed as they suffered a penalty shootout defeat to Gambia after a goalless draw in Libreville on Saturday.
Despite dominating the second-leg match of the second qualification stage and creating numerous scoring chances, the Panthers failed to find the net, ultimately paying the price in the shootout.
The decisive moment came in the 78th minute when Gabon was awarded a penalty, but Samson Mbingui failed to convert, leaving the Scorpions with a lifeline.
With the match still deadlocked at 0-0 after regulation time, the contest went to a penalty shootout, where Gambia kept their composure to secure victory and advance to the next round.
The Scorpions converted all their attempts, while Gabon’s Nasta Oyono missed his shot, sending his effort wide and sealing his team’s elimination.
Elsewhere, Malawi advanced thanks to their 2-0 home win over Comoros to seal a 4-0 aggregate victory.
Wongani Lungu opened in the scoring for the home side in the 50th minute before Binwell Katinji’s strike on the hour mark secured the win.
First Leg Results:
- Gambia 0-0 Gabon (February 28, 2025)
- Comoros 0-2 Malawi (March 2, 2025)
- South Africa 1-1 Egypt (March 2, 2025)
Second Leg Fixtures:
- Malawi 2-0 Comoros – March 8, 2025 Malawi win 4-0 on aggregate
- Gabon 0-0 Gambia – March 8, 2025 – Gambia win on penalties
- Egypt vs. South Africa – March 9, 2025 | 19:30 GMT
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Egypt’s local national team claimed a crucial away goal after drawing 1-1 with South Africa in the first leg of the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers at Free State Stadium on Sunday.
Mohamed Antar put Egypt ahead in the 66th minute with a well-taken volley before South Africa’s Jamie Webber equalized with a powerful strike 14 minutes from time.
The Pharaohs started cautiously, prioritizing defensive stability, while the hosts struggled to break through. South Africa’s first real threat came early in the eighth minute when Monnapule Saleng tested goalkeeper Mahmoud Abou El-Saoud from a distance.
Both sides lacked fluency in the first half, so the teams went into the break level at 0-0. After the restart, Egypt capitalized on a defensive mistake, with Antar firing home to give the visitors a crucial lead.
However, South Africa responded strongly, with Webber unleashing a long-range effort that found the top corner, denying Egypt a first-leg victory.
The result leaves Egypt in a strong position, with the away goal offering a slight advantage ahead of the second leg, scheduled for 9 March in Cairo.
A goalless draw would be enough to send Egypt into the final qualifying round. In this round, they would face either Comoros or Malawi for a place at CHAN 2025, which will be held in August in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
-Ahram
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