Cape Verde vs Egypt
All eyes are on Rui Vitoria, as he tries to devise a game plan that will trail blaze his side to the knockout stages after failing to produce a win in their first pair of AFCON 2023 outings. The Pharaohs, who were the AFCON 2023 odds favourites to win their cluster, are now in deep waters after losing their leader, perennial superstar Mohamed Salah.
Meanwhile, out of nowhere, Ryan Mendes and the rest of the Blue Sharks have been pure in the Africa Cup of Nations thus far. Cape Verde remain unbeaten in the group stages, where they triumphed over Mozambique (3-0) and Ghana (2-1).
Ghana and Egypt were primed to top Group B, but the weight of their past glory seems too heavy of a burden to bear, as both proud nations have yet to garner their first win in the tournament.
Talking Points
No Salah, Big problem
The Pharaohs took a huge blow during their 2-2 draw with Ghana yesterday, failing to get the much-needed win and, worse, losing their star, Mo Salah, in the process.
The Liverpool forward limped off before halftime after receiving medical attention and relieving the skipper’s armband to the seasoned Ahmed Hegazy.
“Tests on Mohamed Salah, the captain of the Egypt national team, proved that he suffered a hamstring injury and will miss the next two matches of the team at the Afcon,” the Egyptian Football Association stated.
This costly injury to the Liverpool winger received an expected response from the Reds’ manager, Jurgen Klopp, who was already hesitant about Salah leaving the Premier League for international duties even before the AFCON began.
“In the moment it was a shock. He felt it and we all know how rarely Mo needs to go off so there was definitely something,” Klopp told reporters. “I don’t have any more information right now. I spoke with him last night. They are doing further assessments and then we will know more.” he added.
Egypt’s tepid performance against Ghana forces them to snag a victory against the already-qualified Cape Verde in order to secure their spot in the next round of the tournament.
It won’t be an easy task, but not impossible. The Pharaohs still have a talented roster, and they’re well-managed to boot, with Rui Vitoria at the helm. Egypt fans could expect major adjustments from the Portuguese manager due to the absence of their focal point, Mo Salah.
Cape Verde first to the Round of 16
The Blue Sharks headline the AFCON 2023 news stories after being the first team to claim their spot in the knockout stages by defeating Mozambique and pulling an upset over the four-time AFCON winners, Ghana.
Bubista’s men have been playing a team-oriented style of football to start their AFCON campaign. Everybody eats, as they would say.
“I am so proud of my players. They applied the instructions perfectly, what makes me even more proud is their behaviour on the pitch. When one loses the ball, another recovers it. I liked seeing this solidarity.” Bubista exclaimed after their dominant win over Mozambique.
They’ve managed to champion over a group that houses two of the top three outfits that have won the most AFCON titles since the tournament began in 1957: Egypt and Ghana.
Now, they have a chance to sweep the cutthroat Group B when they face off against an Egypt squad missing their pharaoh. But it would be foolish for any outfit to count the winningest AFCON nation out so prematurely, especially when they have their backs against the wall.
With that, Cape Verde aren’t out of the woods just yet, as the competition only gets tougher as the tournament progresses.
History
Cape Verde are the first outfit to advance to the knockout stage in this term of the AFCON after stunning Ghana in their recent clash. They, to the surprise of a handful of SBOTOP football followers, breezed through a tough cluster that includes the likes of Egypt and Ghana.
But their campaign at the last AFCON wasn’t this straightforward. In the previous tournament, they barely got past the group stages, finishing in third place in an arduous Group A.
Their sigh of relief didn’t last too long, as they got eliminated by the tournament champions, Senegal, in the Round of 16 with a 2-0 score line.
But it seems like the Blue Sharks are out for blood this time around, as they’ve been perfect in the tournament thus far, winning their first two matches, scoring five goals while conceding just one, and already securing their spot in the next round of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Pharaohs still have to prove themselves and make their presence felt. They’ve been rather tepid in their first two matches, failing to secure a win against lower-ranked teams, Ghana and Mozambique. To add insult to injury, they’ll be without their main man, Mo Salah, when they face the group leaders in Cape Verde.
Their performance fails in comparison to what they achieved last AFCON, where they won two matches in the group stages and then blazed through the knockout stages, demolishing rivals left and right, and ultimately found their way in the final, where they fell short against Senegal, who won the tournament via penalties.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
