Chad and Eswatini reach group stage of TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 qualifiers
Chad and Eswatini secured their places in the group phase of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Morocco 2025, after edging past their opponents following the second-leg matches of the preliminary stage on Tuesday.
They will be joined by Liberia and South Sudan who also progressed despite drawing in their second-leg ties also played on Tuesday.
Eswatini 2-2 Somalia
At the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, South Africa, Eswatini faced off against Somalia in a high-stakes encounter. Despite Somalia's valiant efforts to stage a comeback, Eswatini held their ground, ultimately drawing the match 2-2. Ndzinisa Sabelo opened the scoring for Eswatini in the 46th minute, followed by Matsebula Bongwa's goal in the 49th minute. However, Somalia fought back with goals from Awad Mohammed in the 76th minute and Ahmed Yusuf in the 86th minute. Despite the draw, Eswatini advanced to the next round with a 5-2 aggregate score, thanks to their convincing 3-0 victory in the first leg.
Mauritius 1-2 Chad
Over at the National Sports Complex Pitch 1 in Saint Pierre, Mauritius clashed with Chad in a tense encounter. Jeremy Villeneuve gave Mauritius hope with a goal in the 45th minute, but Chad responded fiercely. Charles Tchouplaou leveled the score in the 74th minute before Ousmane Hassan sealed the victory with a goal deep into stoppage time, securing Chad's advancement with a 3-1 aggregate score.
Liberia 0-0 Djibouti
The Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia witnessed a goalless draw between Liberia and Djibouti. Despite the lack of goals, Liberia secured their progression to the next round with a 2-0 aggregate score, following their victory in the first leg.
South Sudan 0-0 Sao Tome and Principe
In Berkane, Morocco, South Sudan and Sao Tome and Principe battled to a goalless draw at the Stade Municipal de Berkane. With the aggregate score tied at 1-1, South Sudan advanced to the next round on the away goals rule, having secured a vital away goal in the first leg.
Chad, Eswatini, Liberia, and South Sudan will now look ahead to the next phase of the qualifiers where they will join the 44 exempted countries for the group stage of the qualifiers.
The quartet will be eager to continue their journey towards securing a spot in the prestigious tournament in Morocco.