Tuesday’s Group D showdowns at the TotalEnergies Africa Nations Championship will be fraught with drama as Congo and Nigeria clash at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium while Sudan and Senegal meet at Zanzibar’s Amaan Stadium. Third-placed Congo sit on a solitary point and must defeat a desperate Nigeria side to keep their qualification hopes alive—and then pray for a slip from either Sudan or Senegal in the other fixture.
Congo’s slim hopes hinge not only on beating the Super Eagles but doing so emphatically enough to overturn the goal-difference gap. The Central African side opened with a battling 1-1 draw against Sudan but were dismantled 4-0 by the group leaders. A win alone, however, won’t suffice unless Sudan or Senegal lose their tightly contested showdown.
Sudan currently top the group on superior goal difference after drawing 1-1 with Congo and following up with a 4-0 demolition of Nigeria. Senegal, level on four points, beat Nigeria in their opener and then drew goalless with Congo. A draw against the Lions of Teranga would cement Sudan’s spot atop the pool and simultaneously extinguish Congo’s knockout aspirations.
Ghanaian coach Kwesi Appiah insists his Sudan side won’t settle for a stalemate. “Senegal is a big team, and we can’t underrate them,” he acknowledged. “It’s not going to be a walkover. We’ll need to make sure we fight till the end of the game.” Across the pitch, Souleymane Diallo has rallied his Teranga Lions around a similar creed of ambition: “Senegal is a big team in Africa. We are defending champions, but my team is hungry; they want to write their own history.”
With qualification on the line, both fixtures promise end-to-end action until the final whistle. Congo must pull off an upset against the Super Eagles just to stay in contention, while Sudan and Senegal will spar not only for victory but for the psychological edge that comes with topping a fiercely balanced group.Tuesday’s Group D showdowns at the TotalEnergies Africa Nations Championship will be fraught with drama as Congo and Nigeria clash at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium while Sudan and Senegal meet at Zanzibar’s Amaan Stadium. Third-placed Congo sit on a solitary point and must defeat a desperate Nigeria side to keep their qualification hopes alive—and then pray for a slip from either Sudan or Senegal in the other fixture.
Congo’s slim hopes hinge not only on beating the Super Eagles but doing so emphatically enough to overturn the goal-difference gap. The Central African side opened with a battling 1-1 draw against Sudan but were dismantled 4-0 by the group leaders. A win alone, however, won’t suffice unless Sudan or Senegal lose their tightly contested showdown.
Sudan currently top the group on superior goal difference after drawing 1-1 with Congo and following up with a 4-0 demolition of Nigeria. Senegal, level on four points, beat Nigeria in their opener and then drew goalless with Congo. A draw against the Lions of Teranga would cement Sudan’s spot atop the pool and simultaneously extinguish Congo’s knockout aspirations.
Ghanaian coach Kwesi Appiah insists his Sudan side won’t settle for a stalemate. “Senegal is a big team, and we can’t underrate them,” he acknowledged. “It’s not going to be a walkover. We’ll need to make sure we fight till the end of the game.” Across the pitch, Souleymane Diallo has rallied his Teranga Lions around a similar creed of ambition: “Senegal is a big team in Africa. We are defending champions, but my team is hungry; they want to write their own history.”
With qualification on the line, both fixtures promise end-to-end action until the final whistle. Congo must pull off an upset against the Super Eagles just to stay in contention, while Sudan and Senegal will spar not only for victory but for the psychological edge that comes with topping a fiercely balanced group.