In 2012, the Zebras would have been forgiven for feeling like Daniel in the Lion’s Den. The only difference is that whilst in the Bible story, Daniel was saved from the marauding lions after praying unceasingly. In Gabon, there was no such luck for the Zebras who were devoured by all their three tough opponents in Ghana, Mali, and Guinea.
In fact, the Zebras suffered the tournament’s heaviest defeat, a 6-1 shellacking at the hands of Guinea on January 28, 2012. It was a deflating defeat after the Zebras had started the tournament with a battling 1-0 loss to Ghana on January 24, 2012.
The silver lining in the Guinea defeat was that the Zebras scored their first ever goal at the AFCON finals, with Diphetogo ‘Dispy’ Selolwane levelling the scores with a 23rd-minute penalty. But after that, the West Africans ran riot scoring five unanswered goals in a lop-sided contest.
In the final group stage match against Mali, the Zebras were much improved, even having the temerity of taking the lead through Mogakolodi ‘Tsotso’ Ngele who swept home a low cross. But Mali fought back with talisman Seidu Keita securing the win in the 75th minute, ensuring Zebras’ search for a first win at the finals is prolonged.
Since then, the Zebras have been conspicuous by the absence at CAF’s flagship competition but will make their much-awaited return with a date against Senegal’s Lions of Teranga just two days before Christmas. Senegal are the most formidable team in Group D and are expected to be in no festive mood against all their three opponents in the group. The West Africans are ranked as the continent’s second-best team behind Morocco.
The tournament, played over the festive season for the first time since inception, presents Botswana with an opportunity to register a first ever win when the Zebras play Benin. But the West Africans have a better pedigree than the Zebras, ranked 94th in the FIFA rankings and have been to the AFCON finals three times before this year’s appearance. They reached the quarterfinals in 2019 and their results included a shock penalty shoot-out win over Morocco.
But Benin is not a football powerhouse in the continent and if Morena Ramoreboli’s side is to break the duck, this is the opponent to target. The two face-off on December 27 and the Zebras will have to shake off the Christmas Day hangover if they are to record their first win at the tournament, provided there is no upset in their opener against Senegal. The Democratic Republic of Congo, facing upheaval at home due to intense fighting in the east, are a tough opponent, but still beatable. They are ranked number 61 in the world and will, without a doubt, be a tough nut to crack for the Zebras. They combine flair and physicality, with the Zebras often struggling against imposing opponents.
The Zebras play the DRC on December 30 and would know by then if they catch the earliest flight or extend their stay in Morocco. The Zebras’ first match will be at Grand Stade de Tanger in Tanger before they move to Stade Annexe Olympique Sport if Prince Moulay Abdellah is in Rabat for their second contest against Benin. Their tie against the DRC will see them stay in Rabat when they play at the Stade El Barid. Recording a first ever victory at the finals is easier said than done, with coach, Ramoreboli acknowledging the tough task ahead. “(It is a) tough group. I think we need to be honest, even if we were in Group C or F, we would still be saying it’s a tough group. Anybody who is in the top 24 on the continent, is there because of the quality and performance they gave. We are counted amongst the top 24 countries in the continent. It simply means that wherever we find ourselves, we must try and fight and get a positive result. After all, we have a status that we are not ashamed to keep, we are underdogs and we are going to perform like underdogs and prove our worth in the group,” Ramoreboli said in an interview with SABC Sport soon after this week’s draw conducted in Morocco.
“I am confident that we will do well and I am confident that we will deliver the mandate, we will perform well. All the countries in the group have a chance to go through. We need to be consistent in our performances and we will do our best to make sure that we qualify,” he added.
In almost all AFCON finals, there is always a Cinderella story and the Zebras hope this year is their turn.
AFCON finals draw:
Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros
Group B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe
Group C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania
Group D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin Republic, Botswana
Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan
Group F: Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique
