By Angu Lesley<\/p>\n
Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon<\/p>\n
The race for places at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations delivered another eventful afternoon on Friday, November 13, with Ethiopia producing an impressive away performance against Mozambique, Zambia dropping valuable points at home and Comoros failing to take advantage of home support against Congo.<\/p>\n
The three encounters, played on Matchday Three of the AFCON PAMOJA 2027 qualifiers, have important implications for Groups G, I and J as the teams prepare for the return fixtures scheduled for November 17.<\/p>\n
Ethiopia revive Group J campaign with stunning Maputo result<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Ethiopia delivered one of the afternoon’s biggest surprises, frustrating Mozambique on their home ground and securing a result that could prove significant in Group J. The Walia Ibex had entered the encounter under pressure after losing their opening two qualifying matches. A positive result in Maputo therefore represents an important response and gives them renewed hope of challenging for one of the group’s two qualification places.<\/p>\n Mozambique, meanwhile, will be disappointed with the outcome. The Mambas had started the campaign positively, collecting four points from their first two matches, and were expected to use home advantage to strengthen their position. The result leaves the group race more open, particularly with the return encounter scheduled for November 17.<\/p>\n Zambia let advantage slip against Burundi<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Zambia missed an opportunity to strengthen their position in Group I after being held to a 1-1 draw by Burundi at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.<\/p>\n The Chipolopolo appeared on course for maximum points after taking the lead through Chilufya in the 65th minute. However, Burundi refused to surrender and Jean-Claude Girumugisha struck in the 82nd minute to rescue a valuable away point.<\/p>\n It was an important response from Burundi, who had collected only one point from their opening two matches. For Zambia, the dropped points will be frustrating, especially after their previous victory over Togo. The draw takes Zambia to four points, while Burundi move to two, leaving both nations with plenty to play for when they meet again in Bujumbura on November 17.<\/p>\n Comoros held as Congo frustrate the Coelacanths<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Comoros missed the opportunity to put further pressure on the teams above them in Group G after playing out a goalless draw against Congo at the Stade Omnisports de Malouzini.<\/p>\n The Coelacanths had hoped to make home advantage count against a Congolese side still searching for its first victory in the qualifying campaign. Instead, Congo produced a disciplined performance to take a point from Moroni.<\/p>\n The result leaves Comoros on four points from three matches, while Congo move to two points. Cameroon, meanwhile, remain firmly in control of the group after their 2-0 victory over Namibia on Thursday took them to seven points.<\/p>\n Congo will have another opportunity to improve their position when they host Comoros in Brazzaville on November 17.<\/p>\n Claude Le Roy under pressure to deliver<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n For Congo coach Claude Le Roy, the result represents another missed opportunity to get his side’s qualification campaign moving. The experienced Frenchman has remained a prominent voice on football matters and frequently engages the media on wider issues surrounding the game. However, the immediate challenge is translating that experience and public profile into results on the pitch.<\/p>\n With two points from three matches, Congo need to start converting competitive performances into victories if they are to remain serious contenders for AFCON 2027.<\/p>\n The top two teams in each qualifying group will secure places at AFCON 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Angu Lesley Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon The race for places at the 2027 Africa Cup…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":30349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[140,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-afcon","category-african-football"],"yoast_head":"\n