Zambia, DRC bow out as Egypt qualify
Egypt, Comoros and Gabon were among the teams which qualified for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals on Thursday.
The Pharaohs of Egypt booked their place in the finals despite drawing 1-1 with Kenya in a Group G encounter in Nairobi.
They were joined by their Group G rivals Comoros, who qualified for the finals for the first time after holding Togo to a 0-0 draw in Moroni.
In Group D, Gambia and Gabon both secured their places in next year's tournament which will be hosted by Cameroon.
Assan Ceesay's solitary goal earned the Gambia a 1-0 win over Angola in Bakau, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang-inspired Gabon thrashed DR Congo 3-0 in Franceville.
As a result, two former African champions DR Congo and Zambia were among the top teams which saw their hopes of qualifying for the finals come to an end.
Zambia fought back to hold Algeria to a 3-3 draw in a Group H match in Lusaka, while Zimbabwe qualified for the finals after defeating Botswana 1-0 in another Group H game in Francistown.
In Malabo, Equatorial Guinea also secured their ticket to the finals after defeating Tanzania 1-0 in a Group J match and an already qualified Tunisia side defeated Libya 5-2 in another Group J game in Benghazi.
Lastly, South Africa and Ghana drew 1-1 in a Group C match in Johannesburg and the two former African champions are yet to book their places in the finals.
South Africa are placed second on the group standings - level on points with Ghana and they are both a point above second-placed Sudan with one game left for each team.
THURSDAY'S Afcon QUALIFIERS RESULTS
Kenya 1-1 Egypt
Comoros 0-0 Togo
Gambia 1-0 Angola
Gabon 3-0 DR Congo
Zambia 3-3 Algeria
Botswana 0-1 Zimbabwe
Equatorial Guinea 1-0 Tanzania
South Africa 1-1 Ghana
Libya 2-0 Tunisia