The second group games of the 2023 CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) began with hosts Algeria locking horns with the Young Teranga Lions of Senegal at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in a Group A encounter on Wednesday. The hosts had taken maximum points off Somalia in their first tournament matchup.
Similarly, Senegal took all three points from Congo in their first bout of the competition. Therefore, Algeria vs Senegal was a standout fixture, with the winner of the group expected to qualify for the quarterfinals and take control of the group.
The other game in the group saw Congo take on Somalia. Both teams lost their first games and aimed for their first wins.
Elsewhere in Group B, the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria and the Atlas Cubs of Morocco went head-to-head in another challenging U17 AFCON fixture. Both teams won their first encounter in the tournament against Zambia and South Africa, respectively. The other Group B game saw South Africa trade blows with the Young Chipolopolo of Zambia.
The first Group C encounter featured the defending champions Cameroon, going toe-to-toe with Mali. It was the first game for the Cameroon U17 outfit, having been unable to play their first game due to South Sudan's expulsion from the competition.
U17 AFCON Round 2 Review
Group A
In the first match of Group A in the second round of games, the host nation Algeria failed to build on their first win as they succumbed at home to the superior firepower of the Senegal side. The match ended 3-0 in favour of the Young Teranga Lions.
Senegal are already through to the QF of the u-17 AFCON, after defeating Congo [1-0]and Host Nation Algeria [3-0].
They are yet to concede in the tournament.
Tonight, they take on Somalia.What caught my attention about this team is that, i think they've discovered the next big pic.twitter.com/GeyJnRr0hJ
— Gabby Ofei (@GabbyMilito7) May 5, 2023
Thanks to the result, Senegal became the first Group A member to qualify for the next round. The other Group A match involved Congo and Somalia, with the teams sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw.
Group B
In Group B, Nigeria played Morocco. An unfortunate own goal from the Golden Eaglets ensured that the North Africans won 1-0, a result which sent Morocco into the next round. Nigeria must now beat South Africa to qualify for the next round.
THE Young Atlas Lions of Morocco on Wednesday night defeated Nigeria's Golden Eaglets 1-0 to qualify for the quarter-finals stage in the ongoing 2023 Africa U17 Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Algeria.
Morocco who beat South Africa 2-0 in their first matchhttps://t.co/Reg6tN0L9K pic.twitter.com/8h408yuCNP
— Prudence Journal (@prudencejournal) May 4, 2023
In the other Group B encounter, South Africa emerged as 3-2 winners in an exciting matchup with Zambia. Both teams were searching for their first wins in the competition, with the boys from South Africa proving stronger. An interesting affair awaits as South Africa takes on Nigeria in the last group game to decide who joins Morocco in the next round of the competition.
“Nothing is done yet. This is a tough group, we still have work to do.”
South Africa’s U17 coach Duncan Crowie says the team is fully focused on the job at hand ahead of their clash against Nigeria.
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) May 5, 2023
Group C
In Group C, defending champions Cameroon lost 2-0 to Mali. It was Cameroon's first bout since the competition started. It ended on a disappointing note courtesy of Mali's impressive second-half performance. The Young Malians scored two goals in the 86th and 90th minutes of the game to qualify for the next round.
Bad day in office for the U-17 Lion of 🇨🇲as they were beaten 2#0 by Mali in the ongoing U17 AFCON in Algeria
Group C – Full Time
Cameroon 🇨🇲0-2🇲🇱 Mali🏟️ Annaba Omnisports stadium 🇩🇿 pic.twitter.com/HiKHcF4fqu
— Anye Nde Nsoh (@AnyeNdeNsoh1) May 4, 2023
The last four teams in this competition will represent Africa in the 2023 U17 FIFA World Cup scheduled for later this year.
This article was most recently revised and updated 2 years ago