Africa: Mambas Scrape Into Next Afcon Round

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Kickoff (Cape Town)

13 October 2008
Posted to the web 13 October 2008

Mozambique's Mambas crept into the last phase of the African Nations Cup qualifiers last night, some 24 hours after their narrow 1-0 win over Botswana in Gaborone which handed them a lifeline and, eventually, success in their bid to stay in the race for the 2010 World Cup in neighbouring South Africa.

Mozambique qualify as the last of the eight best runners-up, edging out Gambia from a pace in the final 20 on goal difference only.

The Mambas had revived their slim hopes on Saturday when an early goal from Tico-Tico Bucuane set them up for a 1-0 triumph over the Zebras away from home.

Tico-Tico is now playing at Maritzburg United.

The result, combined with a 3-0 loss for Madagascar in Abidjan against Ivory Coast, ensured Mozambique ended second in Group Seven of the African preliminaries.

But the Mozambicans had to wait until the conclusion of yesterday's matches to be sure of progress. It came for them when Angola snatched second place away from Uganda in Group Two by coming from behind to win 3-1 against Niger in Luanda.

Mozambique go through by the slimmest of margins, on goal difference over Gambia.

Guinea, Cameroon, Kenya, Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, Gabon, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Rwanda, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Mali, Sudan, Zambia, Togo, Malawi and Egypt are other 19 teams to go through.

Of the second placed finishers only Angola, the Cape Verde Islands, Gambia and South Africa did not make it.

The 20 teams that have made it through will be drawn into five groups of four for the second phase next year, with the group winners going to the World Cup and the top three in each group going to the Nations Cup.

The draw will be held in Zurich on October 22.

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