Former AFCON champions Ghana bow out as minnows Comoros qualify

While Ghana were eliminated, minnows Comoros and Mali, Zambia and Zimbabwe qualified, swelling the list of countries heading to Morocco to 19, leaving five places up for grabs. New captain Ayew struck on 18 minutes in Luanda only for Ambrosini 'Zini' Salvador to equalise after 64 minutes for already-qualified Group F winners Angola.
The draw left Ghana bottom of the table, four points adrift of Sudan in the second qualifying place, with one round left, and AFCON finals absentees for the first time since 2004.
Ghana, lacking eight of the original squad due to injuries, including Bournemouth striker Antoine Semenyo, reserved their best performance for the penultimate round, but it was not enough.
Comoros, a tiny island nation off the southeastern coast, scored in the final minute through Myziane Maolida to snatch a 2-1 win over the Gambia and qualification from Group A.
Shock winners over former champions Tunisia last month, the Comorans fell behind in the first half to an Alassana Jatta goal, but Rafiki Said equalised five minutes later. Zambia ensured they will be among the 24 title contenders with a 1-0 victory over defending champions the Ivory Coast in Ndola.
It was the second successive defeat for the Ivorians, who suffered a shock Group G loss to Sierra Leone last month. Tanzania-based Kennedy Musonda notched the only goal after 43 minutes - his third of the qualifying campaign.
While Ivory Coast were assured of qualification on Wednesday after Chad and Sierra Leone drew, the latest loss is sure to trigger soul-searching between coach Emerse Fae and his squad.
Fae masterminded a remarkable comeback at the 2024 AFCON as the host nation recovered from a four-goal group hammering by Equatorial Guinea to defeat Nigeria in the final.
Having been barred from the last AFCON qualifying tournament due to government interference, Zimbabwe will make a sixth appearance at the finals after drawing 1-1 with Kenya in Polokwane.
Needing one point to secure a place from Group J and eliminate Kenya, Zimbabwe went ahead in the first half through Tawanda Maswanhise, who plays for Scottish Premiership outfit Motherwell.
Jonah Ayunga levelled early in the second half for the Harambee Stars, who have qualified for only two editions of the biennial AFCON tournament in the past 30 years. Kamory Doumbia netted after 19 minutes to earn Mali a 1-0 Group I win over Mozambique in Maputo and a 10th straight qualification for the African football showcase.
A tight security blanket covered the top-of-the-table clash after several weeks of protests following disputed election results which saw the Frelimo party retain power. Mali wanted the qualifier moved to a neutral country and later asked for the match to be staged behind closed doors, but the Confederation of African Football rejected both requests.
Mozambique need a point from their final fixture, in Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, to qualify. A win for fellow contenders Guinea-Bissau would see second place decided by the head-to-head rule.
Botswana squandered a chance to qualify as they were held 1-1 by Mauritania in Group C in Francistown. Gilbert Baruti equalised after Aboubakary Koita put the visitors ahead.
However, the Zebras do hold a three-point lead in second place ahead of a tough final assignment away to runaway group winners Egypt. South Africa replaced Uganda as Group K leaders after winning a showdown between two already-qualified countries 2-0 in Kampala.
Both goals came in the second half from substitutes with Thapelo Morena punishing a defensive blunder to break the deadlock and Patrick Maswanganyi doubling the lead.