A late penalty from Mo Sangare secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory for Liberia over Togo in their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex on Wednesday.

Despite having a slim chance for AFCON qualification, the Lone Stars fought for pride and delivered the first win of the campaign for the home fans.

The victory moves the Lone Star to thirds in the group with four points while Togo drop to the bottom with two points.

In a match that saw few clear-cut chances, both teams struggled to break down the other’s defence.

Togo, needing a win to keep their slim qualification hopes alive, applied early pressure but found Liberia’s defense resilient.

Kodjo Laba and Kévin Denkey led Togo’s attacks, but their efforts were consistently thwarted by Liberia’s goalkeeper and defence.

Liberia’s best chance came in the 83rd minute after a handball by Togo’s captain, Djené Dakonam, in the penalty area.

The incident was ruled a penalty, and Sangare stepped up to calmly slot the ball into the bottom left corner, giving Liberia the lead in the final moments of the game.

Togo pushed forward in the closing minutes in search of an equaliser, with Denkey’s powerful shot saved by the Liberian goalkeeper in stoppage time.

Kodjo Laba also missed a late attempt, sending his shot high and wide, adding to the visitors’ frustration.

With this result, Liberia earned their first win of the qualifying campaign, boosting team morale under interim coach Thomas Kojo.

Togo, meanwhile, will play their final group match knowing that they won’t be able to qualify as they are five points adrift of second-placed Equatorial Guinea. 

For the first time in many months, the Super Eagles will be playing without being under severe tension. Rather, they have transferred the pressure to the three other contesting teams in Group D of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series.

Leading the Group with 10 points, four more than their closest rivals, Benin Republic, a loss will still make them lead the group till the last match day when they will host currently third-placed Rwanda.

With the first position almost decided in Nigeria’s favour, a three-horse race has opened for Benin Republic, Rwanda and Libya. Nigeria needs just a draw.

But the Super Eagles, yet to concede any goal in the series, are not leaving anything to chances.

They are gunning for an outright win and make their last home match against Rwanda, a mere formality. According to a media release by the Nigeria Football Federation’s director of communications, Dr Ademola Olajire, the Super Eagles will have a feisty approach from the first blast of Senegalese referee Issa Sy’s whistle.

Off course, beyond getting a qualification ticket, they need to build the right momentum towards the resumption of the World Cup qualifying series where they had a bad head start and need to regain confidence and esteem.

Incidentally, their two remaining Africa Cup of Nations opponents, Benin Republic and Rwanda are also part of the five teams the Super Eagles have scores to settle in the more challenging World Cup qualifiers.

A win on Thursday guarantees Nigeria’s leadership of Group D and a flight to Morocco 2025.

That leaves the second position open to the remaining trio. Cheetahs, with six points, know they cannot afford any more slip-ups following the tumble in Kigali, as they could still be tossed if they lose their last two games and Rwanda, on five, earn a minimum of two points in their own final two.

 Even Libya, with only one point, can still leap over Benin Republic if they beat Rwanda in Kigali, the Cheetahs are bumped by the Eagles, and the Knights rout the Cheetahs in North Africa on Monday.

The foregoing dynamics will make for a vicious 90 minutes at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in the heart of the Ivorian capital on Thursday evening.

With England-based centre-back Semi Ajayi absent as a result of injury, Coach Augustine Eguavoen is most likely to start with the rearguard that squared up to the Mediterranean Knights of Libya in Uyo last month, meaning Captain William Ekong and Calvin Bassey at centre back, with wing-backs Olaoluwa Aina and Bruno Onyemaechi.

Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi and the couple of defensive midfielders Frank Onyeka and Raphael Onyedika are available for the spaces in the middle, while Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, Victor Boniface, Samuel Chukwueze, Sadiq Umar and Kelechi Iheanacho are in the selection pool for the fore.

Namibia held already qualified Cameroon to a goalless draw in their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifier at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

The match, which saw Namibia’s Brave Warriors playing for pride, ended 0-0 as both teams failed to break the deadlock despite some close attempts.

Namibia, who are out of the running for AFCON qualification, came out with determination, almost catching Cameroon off guard just seconds into the game. 

In the opening minute, Prins Tjiueza’s shot was blocked, and Aprocius Petrus sent a follow-up effort over the bar.

The Brave Warriors continued to push, with striker Peter Shalulile testing Cameroon’s goalkeeper, André Onana, who was forced to make a crucial save in the 42nd minute.

Cameroon, having already secured qualification, fielded a slightly altered lineup and maintained possession throughout the match without taking too many risks.

Vincent Aboubakar, usually the focal point of their attack, had a quiet game but saw his only shot fly high in the 83rd minute.

The second half saw Namibia come closest to scoring when Tjiueza struck the post twice in the 58th minute, giving the Indomitable Lions a scare.

Moments later, substitute Georges-Kévin N’Koudou provided a rare shot on target for Cameroon, which was easily saved.

Despite late pressure from both teams, neither side could break the deadlock.

Cameroon remains at the top of Group J, while Namibia’s spirited display earned them their first point of the qualifying campaign.

The Brave Warriors will look to finish the qualifying campaign with their heads held high, having managed to hold one of Africa’s top teams to a draw.