The opening two rounds of the CAN 2027 qualifiers have already produced a number of players who have made a strong impression, either through their goals, influence or consistency across both matches.
Ebrima Colley has been the most prolific of the early campaign. The Gambia forward has scored in both games and has three goals to his name.
He converted a penalty in the Scorpions’ 2-1 win over Somalia before scoring twice against Ghana in Accra, where The Gambia secured a 4-2 victory. Colley came on with his side trailing 2-1, put them ahead in the 68th minute and completed the win in added time.
The result gave The Gambia six points from six, with Colley’s three goals making him one of the leading players of the opening rounds.
Zimbabwe have also benefited from a player in scoring form. Midfielder Marshall Munetsi scored twice as the Warriors recovered from 2-0 down to beat Sierra Leone in their opening match.
Munetsi scored again against DR Congo in the second round, although his added-time goal could not prevent Zimbabwe from losing 2-1. His three goals mean he currently shares top spot in the scoring charts with Colley.
Strong starts for Yalcouye and Wissa
Malick Yalcouye has enjoyed an impressive introduction to international football with Cote d’Ivoire. Making his first appearance for the country, the Brighton midfielder was selected by manager Herve Renard against Ghana and opened the scoring in the 44th minute with a shot, helping the Elephants to a 2-0 win.
Yalcouye also won the penalty converted by Franck Kessie after half-time. His performance in the second match, against Somalia, was again noted in the Ivorian press. Although he was not faultless, his work-rate and ability to move between the lines stood out.
Yoane Wissa has scored in both of DR Congo’s matches. He found the net against Equatorial Guinea in the first round and then opened the scoring in the 30th minute during the trip to Zimbabwe. Samuel Moutoussamy later doubled DR Congo’s advantage.
Egypt were held to a goalless draw by Angola in their opening game but responded with a 5-0 victory over South Sudan. Omar Marmoush scored twice, in the 49th and 83rd minutes, to underline his importance to the Pharaohs’ attack. Egypt now have one win and one draw from their first two matches.
South Africa ended the second round with an emphatic result after following a 2-1 victory over Guinea with a 5-0 win against Eritrea. Relebohile Mofokeng scored in the 19th minute and again in first-half added time at 45+1 minutes. The Union Saint-Gilloise forward helped the Bafana Bafana make it two wins from two and move clear at the top of their group on six points.
Nene Dorgeles also made an early impact for Mali, scoring twice in a 3-1 victory over Cape Verde in the first round, although Mali were less spectacular in the second.
