Friday’s Group C action at the African Nations Championship produced high drama in the early kick-off and frustration in the late match, as Guinea saw their quarterfinal hopes vanish in a 1-1 draw with Algeria, while South Africa and Niger settled for a goalless draw that leaves the group delicately poised heading into the final round.

In the first match of the day, Guinea and Algeria delivered an intense battle at Nelson Mandela Stadium, Namboole. The opening half saw limited goal mouth action, with both sides struggling to create clear-cut chances amid constant fouls that disrupted the flow. Guinea pressed high early, forcing Algeria into hurried clearances, while the North Africans responded with a couple of promising moves, only to be denied by the Guinean defence and goalkeeper.

The breakthrough came in the 62nd minute when Ismaël Camara capitalised on high pressing to recover possession, drive forward and unleash a precise low strike into the right corner to give Guinea the lead. From then on, the Syli Nationale dropped deeper, looking to protect their advantage, while Algeria pushed numbers forward in search of an equaliser.

Their persistence paid off in the 88th minute. After a flurry of attempts and a fine save from the Guinean goalkeeper, Abderrahmane Meziane delivered a pinpoint cross to Sofiane Bayazid, whose header found the back of the net to level the score. The closing minutes were tense, with both benches animated and Algeria pushing for a winner. However, the final whistle went with the North Africans in attack, leaving Guinea eliminated from the tournament and Algeria still in with a chance of progressing.

Later in the day, South Africa and Niger played out a cagey 0-0 draw at the same venue. Bafana Bafana had the better of the first half, controlling possession and tempo, but they were left ruing missed opportunities and two contentious VAR incidents. In the 27th minute, referee Bouchra Karboubi initially awarded a penalty to South Africa, only to overturn her decision after review. Just before the break, Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo’s rebound effort was blocked by Niger’s Mohamed Abdourahmane in what appeared to be a handball, but after a VAR check, the decision stood as a corner.

The second half saw Niger grow into the game, with Moussa Moudou firing wastefully off target in the 56th minute. Another flashpoint arrived in the 73rd minute when Abdoul-Latif Goumey was brought down in the South African box by Malibongwe Khoza, but this time there was no VAR intervention at all, much to the Menas’ frustration.

With neither side able to break the deadlock, the result keeps both teams in contention but leaves South Africa with a tough final-day assignment.

Group C Standings :

Group C Permutations Ahead of Final Round

With one matchday remaining in Group C, all eyes will be on the Monday final round fixture as four teams remain in contention for the two quarterfinal slots. Here’s how the scenarios stand:

Uganda (6 points) – Top of the group and are in a strong position. A win against South Africa guarantees top spot, while a draw secures a place in the quarterfinals. However, a loss would eliminate them if Algeria avoid defeat against Niger.

Algeria (5 points) – A draw is enough to secure their place in the quarterfinals, regardless of the result between South Africa and Uganda. Only a loss, combined with a South Africa win, would eliminate them.

South Africa (5 points ) – South Africa must beat Uganda to qualify,there are no shortcuts.

Guinea (4 points) – Despite their draw with Algeria, Guinea are mathematically eliminated. Even if both South Africa and Algeria lose, they would still finish below them on 5 points. Their tournament is over.

Niger (1 point) – Already eliminated. Even a win against Algeria would only take them to 4 points, which is not enough for a top two finish.

This final round will be played simultaneously on Monday 18th August :

South Africa vs Uganda – Mandela National Stadium, Kampala

Algeria vs Niger – Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi