WACON 2022: All to play for in final matches in Group A
The two automatic qualifiers from Group A have already been decided, but there is still plenty to play for in the final round of matches in the pool at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Friday.
Hosts Morocco and Senegal have 100 per cent records so far and will be in the quarterfinals, but their clash in Rabat will decide who tops the group and, theoretically, has the easier route in the knockout stages.
That certainly looks the case with the team that finishes runner-up in the pool to meet the second-placed team in Group C in the quarterfinals, which in all likelihood will be defending champions Nigeria.
That would put both their chances of lifting the trophy and reaching the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup at risk, with the semifinalists in Morocco qualifying automatically for the global showpiece and two of the losing quarterfinalists having to go through a difficult route via the inter-continental play-offs.
Morocco need just a draw to finish top when they face Senegal in Rabat on Friday as they lead the west Africans by a single goal scored.
Senegal have been efficient, if unspectacular, so far, winning both their games without conceding a goal, and have had the edge in matches over the last decade or so.
The sides have met six times in that period and Senegal have won three of those, losing only once, which was their most recent clash, a friendly at the same venue in November that Morocco won 2-0.
The north Africans will have homeground advantage, but Senegal coach Mame Moussa Cisse says this will only be a plus if things are going their way.
“It will add pressure on Morocco. The fans are coming to see the host country, so it is in Morocco’s interest to play a good match,” Cisse says. “We will play with the same mindset. It’s a chance for the players, everyone wants to play in front of a full stadium, so it’s going to make our girls grow.
“We have not yet reached our full potential. I think it will be the trigger to show the world what we are capable of.
“We have studied our opponent well. We are ready to play this ‘final’ but the most important thing is to give the best show here. It is a Wafcon that comes with a new impetus and it will be necessary to give the best image to Africa.”
The second match in the pool is between Burkina Faso and Uganda, with neither side having collected a point to date.
Both are still in with a chance of being among the best third-placed teams but must get a victory – and likely a handsome one – to do so.
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The Burkinabe look to have the best chance but must overturn their -2 goal-difference and realistically then hope South Africa defeat Botswana (0 goal-difference) in their final game on Sunday.
Uganda (-4) could still qualify if their win is big enough, and South Africa’s potential victory over The Mares is also by a few goals.
That also assumes that Cameroon get something from their final game against Tunisia on Saturday. If they don’t then any kind of victory should be enough unless Togo stun Zambia.
“We are aware that we have made many mistakes in our previous matches in this tournament,” Uganda midfielder Fauzia Najjemba says. “The players have discussed it a lot. Each of us, old or new, has expressed ourselves. In training, I feel the group has now applied itself more.”