Mambas, Cheetahs battle for AFCON berth
Group L rivals Mozambique and Benin will have a showdown for a place in next year’s Africa Cup of Nations when they meet at Estadio do Zimpeto in Maputo on the afternoon of Saturday 9 September 2023.
Kick-off is at 3pm CAT.
Reigning Afcon champions Senegal have already secured top spot and one of the two berths in the tournament available in this group. Mozambique currently occupy the remaining qualifying spot, sitting in second place with seven points, with Benin in third on five points.
This means the Mambas, who claimed a clutch 2-0 win away to Rwanda in their last qualifier in June thanks to goals from Geny Catamo and Clesio, need only avoid defeat to secure a return to the Nations Cup finals for the first time since 2010 (and a fifth time overall).
And the Cheetahs (formerly the Squirrels, who had a very respectable 1-1 draw at home to the Teranga Lions last time out) must win in Maputo to leapfrog into second place and qualify for the fifth time in their history (and a first since 2019).
Mozambique coach Chiquinho Conde is hoping the talents of Sporting CP winger Catamo help his team to achieve their goal: “He always had great technical quality and, as he is left-footed, when he started to take his first steps in football he was known as the ‘Messi of Maxaquene’, which in itself says of the quality demonstrated.”
Conde added, “Last season he played here against Benin in which he was on a high but then he went to Sporting to do the pre-season and had the bad luck to get injured, which delayed his integration. He missed half of the season and ended up being loaned to Marítimo. My wish is that the ailments do not penalise him again, because at 22 he is in an important stage of evolution.”
Benin coach Gernot Rohr has opted for key experience in his selection, summoning veterans Stephane Sessegnon and Saturnin Allagbe to lead an otherwise young group.
“Sessegnon’s presence is justified by the fact that he has completed a very extensive training programme which has allowed him to stay in shape,” said the former Nigeria coach.
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“In the absence of the suspended Khaled Adenon, Stephane is the natural leader of this young group. [And Allagbe] is our guardian. The goalkeeper position is very complicated. It’s true that he doesn’t play in the league, but with his performances with us, I think he still has his place.”
In head-to-head stats, Mozambique and Benin have met in two previous matches. The first was a 2-2 draw in the group stage of the 2010 Afcon finals in Angola, while the second was their Matchday 2 clash in this group back in June 2022, which produced a 1-0 win for Mozambique in Cotonou courtesy of a first-half goal from Catamo.