The second round of matches in AFCON Groups E and F take place on Sunday and we take a look at all four games including Gabon v Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea v Sudan, Algeria v Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast v Cameroon.
A reminder there are 6 groups, each containing 4 teams. The top 2 in each group will go through to the knockout rounds along with the 4 best third place finishers.
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
Group F Gabon 9/10 Draw 22/10 Mozambique 32/10
Gabon conceded after just 5 minutes of their 1-0 defeat to Cameroon. They couldn’t find a way back into the game despite having 56% of possession, registering just the 2 attempts on target.
Mozambique went down 1-0 to Ivory Coast in their opening game. It was 0-0 at half time but soon after the restart Cameroon took the lead and that’s the way it stayed. Mozambique were on the back foot for much of the game but came close to an equalizer late on but on the balance of play they could have few complaints.
The Verdict
Although a draw would keep hopes of qualification alive for both sides to some degree this is bordering a must win in my book. With that in mind you would think goals but after both teams failed to score in their opening matches this looks tricky. I’ll take my chances with both teams to score but it’s a very tentative call.
Bet: Both teams to score? Yes at 12/10 with Pokerbet
Group E Equatorial Guinea 1.45/1 Draw 2/1 Sudan 1.95/1
Equatorial Guinea went down 2-1 to Burkina Faso in the first action of the tournament. After a goalless first half they were reduced to me on 50 minutes when Basilio Ndong was red carded but their defence held out before Marvin Anieboh gave them the lead on 85 minutes. However the ten men conceded twice in injury time, on 95 minutes and 98 minutes and Burkina Faso snatched a 2-1 win.
Sudan were huge underdogs for the clash with Algeria and after conceding in just the second minute and then having Salah Adel sent off before half time the writing was on the wall. Algeria added two more goals in the second half and Sudan keeper Monged Elneel prevented any further damage at the death as Algeria ran out 3-0 winners.
The Verdict
In similar circumstances to the above match this is another head wrecker to call. I’ll go with Equatorial Guinea to edge it given they have the better AFCON pedigree and only came unstuck late on in their opening match.
Bet: Equatorial Guinea to win at 15/10 with SuperSportBet
Group E Algeria 19/20 Draw 9/4 Burkina Faso 3/1
Algeria coasted to a 3-0 win over Sudan in their opening game. Riyad Mahrez needed just 2 minutes to open the scoring and Sudan were in further trouble when they had a player sent off just before half time. Mahrez scored his second goal on 61 minutes and Ibrahim Maza made it 3-0 on 85 minutes. Algeria went in search of a fourth but a mix of poor finished and some excellent saves from the Sudan keeper saw the game finish 3-0.
Burkina Faso staged an amazing late comeback to get the better of Equatorial Guinea 2-1 in their opening match. They controlled the bulk of the game and but even though they opponents were reduced to 10 men early in the second half they couldn’t find a way through and even fell behind on 85 minutes. Georgi Minoungou came up with the equalizer on 95 minutes and three minutes later and just before the final whistle Edmond Tapsoba headed in the winner.
The Verdict
Both sides made a winning start but in very different circumstances. There is a recent history of draws in the head to heads and although Algeria have been the more consistent in terms of recent results I’ll go with a share of the spoils again here.
Bet: Match result draw at 23/10 with SuperSportBet
Group F Ivory Coast 23/20 Draw 21/10 Cameroon 5/2
Amad Diallo was the Ivory Coast scorer in their opening 1-0 win over Mozambique. They had chances throughout the game but in the end it was Diallo’s 50th minute goal that settled it and the Manchester United man was a threat throughout.
Cameroon came flying out of the blocks in their clash with Gabon and Karl Etta Eyong gave them a fifth minute lead. Having changed coach just before the start of the tournament there were doubts about how Cameroon would fare but there was no further scoring and they are on the board at the first time of asking.
The Verdict
The teams look pretty closely matched and a draw wouldn’t be the worst outcome for either coach.
Bet: Match result draw at 21/10 with SuperSportBet
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change