U17 AFCON: What Happened After the Second Group Games

U17 AFCON: What Happened After the Second Group Games
Othmane El Idrissi Errahali of Morocco up against Nigeria's Emmanuel Michael

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Chandan is a passionate writer, editor, and marketer with a love for football. He has bylines in leading online publications and has worked with renowned sports brands like The Olympics, Fox Sports Asia, and the Indian Super League (ISL). As for the unimpressive part, he loves Chelsea.