Hakim Ziyech scored in the first half Morocco beat Zambia They won 1-0 in the African Cup of Nations final on Wednesday, taking the lead in Group F, with hosts Ivory Coast also remaining in the tournament.
Morocco's stand-in captain left the pitch at half-time with an ankle injury, but a smart finish from close range in the 38th minute lifted Morocco to seven points, moving them above second place. Democratic Republic of the Congotied 0-0 with tanzania.
Zambia finished third in their group with two points, but it wasn't enough to earn them one of the four spots in the last 16 given to the top three teams. Ivory Coast sneaked in instead, sparking celebrations at the Laurent Pokou Stadium as locals came to support Morocco, knowing that if Zambia lost, the Moroccan team would qualify.
After three draws, the Congolese now sit second in the pool with three points, along with Morocco, who will face South Africa in their next match. It was a game with very few chances for the 12,847 spectators at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly stadium, but at least they could have celebrated as Ivory Coast finished in the top three and qualified for the last 16. They face Senegal on Monday despite sacking coach Jean-Louis Gasset.
Before, tunisia At the African Cup of Nations, they ended in a 0-0 draw and were eliminated. South Africa With this result, their opponents advanced to the last 16 on Wednesday in the sweltering heat of Kollogo.
Needing a win to lift themselves from the bottom of Group E, Tunisia had a responsibility to play, but they produced little in the match and were unable to overcome a resolute South Africa. mali After a goalless draw with the Reds, they now top the pool with 5 points from 3 games. Namibia, South Africa took second place with four points. Namibia also qualified for the first time as one of the top four teams in third place.
Tunisia finished third in Africa after Morocco and Senegal in the Ivory Coast tournament, but after suffering a shocking defeat to Namibia in the first match, they drew with Mali and South Africa, only to suffer unexpected casualties in Algeria and Ghana. was. in the pool phase.
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Group winners Mali will advance to next Tuesday's round of 16 encounter with Burkina Faso in Korrogo, while Namibia will face neighboring Angola on Saturday. South Africa will play Morocco on Tuesday.
