Afcon Wrap: Nigeria choke on another good day for home teams

by Bertin Basson

Friday Nov 13, 2020. 23:52

Friday’s 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers produced five home wins, a Hakim Ziyech masterclass and one of the most memorable comebacks in recent history.

The only draw of the day came in dramatic fashion at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City as Nigeria squandered a four-goal lead to draw 4-4 with Sierra Leone.

The Super Eagles scored all of their goals before the half-hour mark, but the Leone Stars found the back of the net on the cusp of half-time and added three more after the break to claim a deserving point away to the three-time champions.

Alex Iwobi and Al-Hadji Kamara netted a brace apiece for the two nations in a game that will live long in the memory of every player involved.

Elsewhere, Hakim Ziyech produced another masterclass performance to move Morocco two points clear atop Group E. The Chelsea star teed up the first before scoring two himself in a 4-1 win over the Central African Republic in Casablanca.

There were also wins for Niger, Mali and Tunisia who defeated Tanzania 1-0 in Rades courtesy of a first-half penalty from Youssef Msakni.

In South Africa, Bafana Bafana edged past lowly-ranked Sao Tome and Principe 2-0 with Percy Tau and Bongani Zungu on target for the hosts in Durban.

Full list of results, Friday 13 November:

Niger 1-0 Ethiopia

Nigeria 4-4 Sierra Leone

Mali 1-0 Namibia

Morocco 4-1 Central African Republic

South Africa 2-0 Sao Tome and Principe

Tunisia 1-0 Tanzania