Sudan through to U23 qualifiers final stage, Tanzania falter

• Sudan progressed despite a 3-1 loss to Benin
• Both Tanzania and Rwanda bowed out
• The final round of qualification will be played in March next year

Sudan progressed to the final round of qualification for the Africa Under-23 Cup of Nations despite a 3-1 loss at the hands of Benin in the second leg on Sunday. The Sudanese progressed on the away goal rule after a 3-3 aggregate draw.

They had earlier won 2-0 at home in the first leg and the single goal they scored away from home proved to be the most vital.

Heading into the return fixture in Benin, the home side needed an outright win of a three-goal margin to ensure passage. They had a great start with Mohamed Abdou giving the lead after 38 minutes, and Gael Dassi made it 2-0 after four minutes later.

After the interval Soumaila Hounkpe increased Benin’s lead after 72 minutes. But with minutes ticking away Sudan kept attacking before Pamphile Winsavi netted an own goal after a corner kick.

Booked a date against Niger

The Sudanese have now booked a date against Niger in the third round to determine if they qualify for the U-23 AFCON to take place in Morocco next year.

Meanwhile, the other teams from the CECAFA region Tanzania and Rwanda bowed out. The Tanzania team suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Nigeria in a match played in Ibadan to bow out on a 3-1 goal aggregate.

Tanzania vs Nigeria. PHOTO/TFF

They had earlier on played to a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Dar es Salaam. Abioudin Oguniyi broke the deadlock for the Nigerian boys before Success Makanjuola doubled the advantage from the penalty spot, both goals scored within 10 minutes.

Gave it our best

“We gave in our best, but unfortunately we lost because of a few mistakes. It is a learning process for the players and I believe they have picked up valuable experience from this round. We will definitely get back stronger and I believe these players have a bright future,” said Hemed Morocco, the Tanzania U23 head coach.

Rwanda meanwhile bowed after a 2-1 aggregate loss over Mali. In the return tie, Mali won 1-0 at home to book a slot in the next round. The first leg tie played in Kigali last weekend had ended in a 1-1 draw.

The other teams that have qualified for the final round of the qualifiers include;, Guinea, South Africa, Congo Brazzaville, DR Congo, Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Gabon, Cameroon, Zambia and Egypt.

The U-23 AFCON will also serve as a qualification event for the 2024 Olympic Games to take place in Paris, France.