Morocco is waiting to confirm the lead against Gabon in the third group of African nations

After ensuring its official qualification for the round of 16 in the African Nations Cup, currently held in Cameroon, since the last round, the Moroccan team concludes its campaign in the third group in the group stage of the continental competition. Another between Ghana and Comoros.

Morocco, which won the championship in 1976, is at the top of the standings with 6 points, achieving the full mark so far, with a 1-0 victory over Ghana in the first round, and 2-0 over Comoros in the last round, where it is two points ahead of its closest opponents. Gabon.

As for Ghana, which won the tournament in 1963, 1965, 1978 and 1982, it appears in an unenviable position, as it occupies third place with a single point, before its meeting with Comoros, bottom of the standings, who has not scored any point so far.

A tie will be enough for Morocco and Gabon to reach each other's goal of that match, as the Atlas Lions will officially be given the lead, and then face the third-placed team in any of the first, second and sixth groups in the round of 16.

A draw will also be satisfactory for the Gabonese team, to qualify for the playoffs for the third time in its history after the 1996 and 2012 editions, by being in second place, to play in the next round with the runners-up of Group A, but this will not prevent it also from trying to collect the three points against the national team. Morocco, which achieved impressive results with its Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic.

After its victory over the Comoros, the Moroccan national team maintained its string of victories with Halilhodzic, who took over from French coach Herve Renard in August 2019, for the 11th consecutive match in various official and friendly meetings, during which his players scored 26 goals, while netting single target.

The last match in which the Moroccan team was unable to win with Halilhodzic dates back to last March 26, when it drew 0-0 with its host Mauritania, in the qualifiers for the current African Nations Championship.

Despite the guarantee of qualification, the Moroccan team will try to continue its series of victories and avenge its 2/3 loss against Gabon in the group stage of the 2012 competition, in the only confrontation that took place between the two teams in the continental championship.

For his part, the Ghana team, which is still looking for its first victory in the group, fears an early exit from the tournament, when it meets the Comoros team, which is participating in the competition for the first time in its history.

There is no alternative in front of the nicknamed "Black Stars" but to win, hoping to be among the best thirds at the very least, to meet in the next round either the leaders of the first or second group.

The Ghana national team got itself into this predicament, after losing its lead with the goal of its star Andre Ayew in his meeting with Gabon in the last round, to receive a goal two minutes before the end of the original time, and fall into the trap of a 1-1 draw.

As for the Comoros national team, they still have chances of crossing the group stage, by being among the best thirds, but they will have to beat their Ghanaian counterpart to keep their hopes up, waiting for the results of the other groups.

And the road will not be paved with flowers for the Ghanaian team to beat the Comoros, given the results of the two teams in their previous direct encounters, as they had previously met in the African qualifiers for the World Cup in Russia in 2018.

The two teams tied without goals in the first leg in Mitsamiouli, the capital of the Comoros, while the Ghanaian team won 2-0 in the return match that took place at its stadium, taking advantage of the numerical shortage in the ranks of its opponent, who played at the time with ten players in the last quarter of an hour.

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