Mozambique hope for helping hand in quarterfinal quest

by Staff Reporter

Wednesday May 30, 2018. 11:26

Mozambique will need a helping hand in their quest to reach the quarterfinals of the 2018 Cosafa Cup, as they play their final Group A match against Seychelles on Thursday, 31 May, kick-off at 17h30 CAT.

The Mambas come into the game on the back of an impressive 3-0 win over Comoros on Tuesday night, with a brace from Luis Miquissone and an opening strike from Jeitoso seeing them move up to second on the log on three points.

Their opening 2-1 loss to Madagascar on Sunday was a major blow to coach Abel Xavier and his team, but the midweek victory has reinvigorated their hopes of reaching the last eight, and moved the former Liverpool defender to praise his team’s reaction to adversity.

Mozambique are placed just one point behind Madagascar heading into the last round of Group A matches, with Barea having been held to a surprise 1-1 draw by the Seychelles on Tuesday night.

The Pirates put up a strong showing in the match to claim a second successive draw, having also held Comoros 1-1 in their opener on Sunday. Seychelles will certainly be no pushovers and the fact that they come into the final group game still in with a chance of advancing is a feather in the cap for coach Gavin Jeanne.

The permutations for this match boil down to one of Mozambique or Seychelles needing a combination of (1) a win in this clash and (2) leaders Madagascar to be stymied by Comoros in the concurrent game on Thursday evening.

However, if Barea claim their second win and move to seven points, then neither the Mambas nor the Pirates will have any chance of qualifying, regardless of the result in their encounter.

Mozambique and Seychelles have met in half a dozen previous matches according to FIFA’s stats database, with the former winning on all six occasions. The teams’ most recent meeting was in last year’s Cosafa Cup, with Mozambique claiming a 2-1 victory in a group stage match.