Minnows Djibouti Defy Odds As Rwanda Set African Qualifying Record
11th September 2019
Forcing a goalless draw in Manzini completed an amazing turnaround for the tiny Horn of Africa nation, who were crushed 8-1 overall by the then Swaziland in a 2018 World Cup eliminator
- Djibouti triumphed unexpectedly, Zimbabwe survived a scare and Rwanda created a record as the first round of African qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar concluded on Tuesday
- French coach Julien Mette was hired by Djibouti recently and promised to restore the "dignity" of a national team used to heavy losses
- Meanwhile, Rwanda created a record for a World Cup qualifying aggregate winning margin in Africa by trouncing the Seychelles 7-0 in Kigali for a 10-0 overall victory
JOHANNESBURG, South
Africa- Djibouti triumphed unexpectedly, Zimbabwe survived a scare and
Rwanda created a record as the first round of African qualifying for the 2022
World Cup in Qatar concluded on Tuesday.
French coach Julien Mette was hired by Djibouti recently and
promised to restore the "dignity" of a national team used to heavy
losses.
It did not take him long to succeed as a 0-0 draw in
eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) earned the "Shoremen of the Red Sea" a
2-1 aggregate victory.
Forcing a goalless draw in Manzini completed an amazing
turnaround for the tiny Horn of Africa nation, who were crushed 8-1 overall by
the then Swaziland in a 2018 World Cup eliminator.
"Officials did not speak to me about qualifying for the
Africa Cup of Nations, the African Nations Championship or the World Cup,"
Mette told the FIFA website.
"All he (the president of the national football
federation) wanted was to stop losing 5-0 and 6-0 and I said I would definitely
bring him that dignity."
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Ranked 195th of 211 football nations, Djibouti must now wait
for the second round draw, which will include the teams ranked 1 to 26, who
received first round byes.
The 40 survivors will be split into 10 groups of four with
the winners advancing to a final two-leg stage to decide which five African
teams go to Qatar.
In Harare, Khama Billiat scored two minutes into stoppage to
hand Zimbabwe a 3-1 win over minnows Somalia, whose solitary-goal first leg win
proved insufficient to survive.
A dramatic finish to the return match saw Marshall Munetsi
give Zimbabwe a second leg lead 13 minutes from time only for Omar Abdullah
Mohamed to equalise.
Zimbabwe had to score at least twice to avoid a shock exit
and Knox Mutizwa, direct from a free kick, and Billiat with a hard close-range
shot netted for a dramatic victory.
- Driving instructor -
Like Djibouti, Somalia have suffered many heavy losses in
World Cup qualifiers with home matches having to be played outside the country
because of an unstable security situation.
The side that tackled a Zimbabwe team packed with full-time
professionals included Mohamud Ali, who combines playing sixth-tier football in
England with being a driving instructor.
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Meanwhile, Rwanda created a record for a World Cup
qualifying aggregate winning margin in Africa by trouncing the Seychelles 7-0
in Kigali for a 10-0 overall victory.
The previous nine-goal mark was set by Ghana in a 1974 World
Cup qualifier and equalled by Libya in a 2006 tie.
Rwanda fell just short of the record eight-goal margin for a
single match set by the Democratic Republic of Congo in a 2002 qualifier and
later equalled by Libya.
Guinea-Bissau, once minnows but qualifiers for the last two
Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, fell behind at home after 11 minutes to an
aggregate-tying goal from Sao Tome.
The visitors, whose "The Falcons and True Parrots
Team" nickname must rank among the most eye catching in football, retained
the second leg lead until midway through the second half.
Joseph Mendes, who equalised in Bissau on 66 minutes, was
yellow carded for taking his shirt off when celebrating, and scored again to
give Guinea-Bissau a 2-1 victory.
The "Djurtus" (wild dogs) progressed 3-1 on
aggregate to keep alive the seemingly improbable dream of coach Baciro Cande,
who believes a team ranked 123rd in the world can qualify for Qatar.