In summary
So that’s it for group B: after 90 minutes of average fare in Bata and a dreadful game hampered by the conditions in Ebebiyin, Congo will take on DR Congo while the hosts, Equatorial Guinea will face Tunisia in the quarter-finals. Thanks for reading. Bye!
FULL-TIME! DR Congo 1-1 Tunisia
And it’s also over in Bata, where both sides go through. Tunisia top the group and DR Congo will join them in the quarter-finals on the basis they scored one goal more than Cape Verde.
FULL-TIME! Cape Verde 0-0 Zambia
It’s over in Ebebiyin and both sets of players sink to their knees.
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90 min + 4: Killing time in Bata. Must only be seconds to go.
Still scoreless in Ebebiyin …
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Cape Verde have a free-kick in a dangerous position in the final minute of normal time in Ebebiyin. Tense times with three minutes added on. Heldon fails to hit the target.
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90 min: We’re into injury time of which there will be four minutes. Bolasie cuts in, looks to shoot but his touch is too heavy and Mbemba picks up possession but drives it way over.
89 min: … Bolasie drills it into the wall.
88 min: Free-kick in a dangerous place for DRC as Yacoubi takes down Bokila. Bolasie or Makiadi to take …
84 min: Bolasie tries the spectacular but his overhead kick fails to threaten. Both sides make changes. For Tunisia Ragued is replaced by Nater, while DRC bring on Zakuani in place of Mongongu.
Zambia look to be getting on top in Ebebiyin but cannot find a way past Vozinha between the Cape Verde posts. A goal for either side would see them advance.
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82 min: DR Congo’s left-back Kasusula has a go from range but his left-footer fizzes wide.
The Zambia attacker Evans Kangwa is shown a yellow card for a dreadful dive in Ebebiyin. It remains scoreless after 79 minutes.
78 min: Time for a DRC sub now as Kalonji replaces Ndombe
77 min: Another Tunisia change: Moncer on for Khazri, who has been subdued to say the least.
75 min: And Younes’s first act is a shot on goal which the DRC keeper Kidiaba turns over the bar for a corner.
74 min: And that was Akaichi’s final act. He is replaced by Younes.
71 min: Greedy from Akaichi, who dribbles down the left, cuts in but instead of crossing to Chikhaoui, who is waiting on the penalty spot. Akaichi tries to take it on himself and he loses it. Poor decision making.
Cape Verde do not presently look like scoring in Ebebiyin, though the rain has stopped and the ball is beginning to bounce again.
As it stands, with the other game scoreless, Tunisia and DRC will go through, the latter on the basis of scoring a goal more that Cape Verde.
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GOAL! DR Congo 1-1 Tunisia (Bokila, 66)
DR Congo go route one and Bokila, who has just come on for Cedrick, finds the net with his left boot after Mbokani knocked a long pump forward down. Now we’ve got a game!
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64 min: DRC enjoying their best spell now as Bolasie fizzes a low cross in from the left but it evades four players in the box and Tunisia break rapidly … Chikhaoui, the best player on the pitch so far this evening, finds Khazri but he drives way over in a good position. That would have killed it.
The rain is dying down in Ebebiyin. Panic subsiding. It remains scoreless.
62 min: Mbokani heads onto the roof of the net in a rare show of intent from DRC from about 10 yards.
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61 min: A shot! Akaichi is fed by Chikhaoui but he puts it wide from the edge of the box despite Sassi being unmarked to his left.
59 min: Back in Bata, Tunisia enjoy a spell in possession but don’t do anything with it. DR Congo then do the same. And the repeat happens over and over and over. The onus is on DRC to attack but they appear incapable of creating a move of note.
Or maybe not …
#AFCON: Ebibeyin conditions getting worse. Caf ref expert says game can only be stopped if ball doesn't "move" or GKs say they can't "see"
— O. Erick Mwanza (@CAF_Mwanza) January 26, 2015
Can no longer see the ball on TV in Ebebiyin, so poor is the weather. But it remains scoreless and probably will stay that way seeing as the ball is barely moving on a waterlogged pitch. It’s an absolute farcical situation and it must surely be moments away from being at least temporarily halted.
53 min: DRC a bit more hurried now but Tunisia are defending in numbers. Makiadi concedes a cheap free-kick on the edge of the area, allowing Tunisia the chance to take the sting out of the game.
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51 min: Bolasie wins another free-kick. It’s taken short to Kasusula on the wing, who crosses towards Mbokani but it comes to nothing.
If the rain keeps falling with such ferocity at Ebebiyinm, you could nearly see it being abandoned. The ball has taken on a futsal-effect: it’s taking a shallow bounce and stopping dead. Not exactly easy on the eye.
48 min: DRC make inroads down the left through Mbokani. He cuts in and shoots with his right but it’s low and right at Mathlouthi who smothers with ease.
And Cape Verde get us going 90 seconds later in the other game, where visibility and the pitch have deteriorated substantially since the end of the opening period. There are puddles developing on the pitch!
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46 min: Tunisia starts us off for the second half in Bata.
HALF-TIME! Cape Verde 0-0 Zambia
As it stands Cape Verde, who have marginally been the better side, will go through with a draw.
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HALF-TIME! DR Congo 0-1 Tunisia
Tunisia look to be easing into the quarter-finals here, thanks to Akaichi’s goal. DR Congo need to up it considerably if they are to mount a comeback.
45 min: So, so poor from DRC. Mbemba finds Mubele but his low ball across goal is dreadful and drifts yards behind Mbokani, allowing Tunisia to clear.
44 min: The ball works its way to Mbokani in a move started by Bolasie but he gets the ball stuck underneath him, can’t turn and is closed down.
41 min: Everything goes through Bolasie when it comes to DRC looking for attacking inspiration. They have had around three-fifths of the ball but don’t really appear capable of doing much with it.
38 min: The rain is lashing down at both grounds, now, with forks of lightning, making it difficult for the players to control on such slippy surfaces. Have some sympathy for those getting drenched in the uncovered stands at Ebebiyin. It doesn’t matter in Bata though, because those in the seats near the bottom can move where they like in a stadium which is almost empty. I’m told there are around 1,000 there, it has a capacity of 35,700.
35 min: DRC have been rocked by conceding and look very, very unsettled.
Cape Verde and Zambia remains scoreless, though the former’s centre-half, Carlitos, has been booked for a mistimed challenge.
Chikhaoui volleys an absolute beauty into the top left corner with his right boot from 12 yards but it’s ruled out for offside.
GOAL! DR Congo 0-1 Tunisia (Akaichi)
31 min: And it’s Akaichi who scores his second of the tournament with a good reflex header from eight yard after Chikhaoui’s shot following a neat dribble inside the area takes a slight deflection en route.
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28 min: Bolasie is robbed of possession by Akaichi. Tunisia are two-on-two but Akaichi squanders possession cheaply just as he crosses halfway. Poor.
27 min: DR Congo have a free-kick around 25 yards out. Kasusula and Bolasie stand over it … the former takes it, curling a left-footed attempt towards the bottom right corner but Mathlouthi gets across to make the save. Corner.
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25 min: We’re not really seeing much in the way of excitement here. All about containment for Tunisia, while DRC are still unable to really manage a way through their back five … but just as I type that Cedrick finds the ball coming to him from Bolasie’s centre but he kicks fresh air in a promising position. Gotta do better.
Zambia have a couple of attacks which amount to nothing more than a corner in Ebebiyn.
23 min: DRC have a corner after some Bolasie trickery. The delivery reaches Mbokani but his header fails to find the target.
20 min: Tunisia are taking charge now and Chikahoui unleashes a right-footed shot towards goal after some tasty one-touch build-up play from midfield but Kidiaba saves well, turning it round the post to his left for a Tunisia corner.
Cape Verde enjoying more possession in Ebebiyn but yet to register a shot on target.
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17 min: Understandably, it’s all a bit tense. Tunisia, despite having the only chance of note so far, are happy to sit back and attack sporadically, while DRC are trying to find a gap in the group leaders’ defence without anything of note to show for it yet.
15 min: Chikhaoui, Tunisia’s match winner against Zambia, is penalised for handball when it actually hit his shoulder.
13 min: Good spell of possession for DR Congo in midfield but they lose it and Tunisia’s defence hoof it all the way to Kidiaba.
It also remains scoreless in the other game. Little has happened there apart from Kennedy Mweene, the Zambia keeper, flapping at a couple of crosses.
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10 min: The DRC defence are a mess but Tunisia cannot punish them as Chikhaoui misses an absolute sitter from five yards. A good run from Akaichi down the right reaches Sassi, whose shot is blocked on the line and Chikhaoui somehow puts his attempt wide from close range.
9 min: Tunisia’s Yacoubi is booked for a sliding challenge on Bolasie.
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7 min: Another DRC free is delivered by Bolasie from the left but his well-placed delivery also amounts to nought.
6 min: DRC have a free-kick 35 yards out. Three of them size it up but Makiadi is the one to deliver. It’s cleared easily, back all the way to Kidiaba in the DRC goal.
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5 min: Tunisia are going with three centre-halves here instead of the two they lined up with in their opening two fixtures. They do need only a draw, of course.
In the other game Zambia have a corner cleared off the line in the other game.
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3 min: Tunisia win a corner, the DRC keeper Kidiaba comes out but misjudges the flight of the ball and Chikhaoui has a header deflected over for another corner which comes to nothing.
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2 min: We have a break in play after 70-odd seconds as DRC’s Mubele is taken down by Ragued. He’s now limping off but expect him to come back on.
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Peeep! Peeep!
Zambia have got things going in Ebebiyin, while DR Congo get us going in the game we will focus on in Bata
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Anthems over with, flags being folded up and carried off the pitch, we’re almost set …
The teams are emerging from the tunnel at the same time at both grounds.
You might notice that DR Congo’s kit is manufactured by O’Neills, the Irish sportswear company whose vast amount of gear is for Gaelic games.
Cape Verde v Zambia teams
Cape Verde: Vozinha, Fernando Varela, Carlitos, Stopira, Gege, Toni Varela, Rocha, Lima, Heldon, Rodrgues, Ryan Mendes.
Subs: Sousa, Kay, Babanco, Semedo, Odair Fortes, Kuca, Platini, Tavares, Nivaldo, Djaniny, Jeffrey Fortes, Somada.
Zambia: Mweene, Sunzu, Nkausa, Munthali, Mbola, Mtonga, Kalaba, Lungu, Musonda, Singuluma, Kangwa.
Subs: Munyao, Malama, Kabwe, Sautu, Musakanya, Kampamba, Mulenga, Mwanza, Ngoma, Titima.
Referee: Neant Alioum (Cameroon)
Congo DR v Tunisia teams
Congo DR: Kidiaba, Mbemba, Kimwaki, Issama, Kasusula, Mongongu, Makiadi, Bolasie, Cedrick, Mubele, Mbokani.
Subs: Kudimbana, Oualembo, Munganga, Kage, Kebano, Mabele, Kabananga, Zakuani, Bokila, Mabidi, Mandanda.
Tunisia: Aymen Mathlouthi, Yacoubi, Syam Ben Youssef, Maaloul, Hamza Mathlouthi, Abdennour, Khazri, Sassi, Ragued, Akaichi, Chikhaoui.
Subs: Ben Mustapha, Mohsni, Bedoui, M’Sakni, Fakhreddine Ben Youssef, Younes, Chermiti, Nater, Moncer, Saihi, Ben Djemia, Ben Cherifia.
Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)
Preamble
Evening all!
Group B may not throw up permutations as mind-boggling as the group of 1-1 (previously known as group D) but all four sides retain hopes of progressing to the quarter-final before tonight’s concluding games.
So, in a not-so-brave move, we’re going to bring you action from both games at the same time, with a focus on DR Congo v Tunisia, supplemented by the best action from Cape Verde v Zambia.
The permutations!
Tunisia require a point in our feature game to seal their place in the last eight. A win would guarantee first place but they might achieve that anyway if both games are draws.
A win for DR Congo would see them through regardless of what happens in the other game, while a draw would be enough if Cape Verde lose to Zambia.
As for Cape Verde, if they win they go through. A draw might be enough if Tunisia win.
Zambia must win against Cape Verde and hope DR Congo fail to do the same to stand any chance of going through.
If both games are draws, my head might explode as Cape Verde would be tied on points and goal difference with DR Congo. It will then come down to goals scored (both level before kick-off) to see who finishes second before eventually the drawing of lots if both games end with matching scorelines. A pair of draws would see Tunisia would finish top and Zambia bottom.
Team news is on the way, and feel free to email or tweet me your thoughts.
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