Comoros set off their journey towards qualification for a second consecutive TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on a high, winning their opening game at home on Friday while Togo were twice pegged back by late equalizers from eSwatini.
Comoros were 2-0 winners over Lesotho while Togo drew 2-2 with eSwatini in a game that had late drama with a flurry of three goals in seven minutes.
At the Stade Omnisports de Malouzini in Moroni, new coach Younes Zerdouk started off his tenure with The Coelacanths with victory. Zerdouk was picked to head the Comoros team after the exit of Amir Abdou whom he deputized.
After a goalless first half, the home side went full attack in the second half and they broke the deadlock after 59 minutes through Youssouf M’Changama.
They continued dominating and doubled their tally nine minutes to time through Benjaloud Youssouf.
In Lome at the Stade de Kégué, the home side twice thought they were on the winning end, but a hard fighting eSwatini held on for a point on the opening day of Group B action.
Siboniso Ngwenya’s superb left footed thunderbolt in the 95th minute grabbed a point for the visitors, who thought they had escaped with a win after Kodjo Laba’s second goal in the 87th minute.
Laba had scored just two minutes after Sabelo Ndzinisa had silenced the stadium with an 85th minite equalizer, cancelling out Meme Placca’s early opener.
Togo’s Sparrow Hawks were the expected dominant side in most of the game, pushed by their fans who expect qualification to the AFCON for the first time since 2017.
Laba, who was industrious from the first minute had several chances to score, but couldn’t land the ball inside the net. He was picked out with a decent ball on the quarter hour mark inside the box but his control let him down.
Togo however broke the deadlock in the 20th minute when Placca curled in a brilliant freekick from almost 35 yards out to send the stadium into frenzy.
They had more chances with Laba guilty of missing more than three good opportunities. eSwatini’s best chance of the half was via a Kwakhe Thwala freekick which was turned behind for a corner.
In the second half, Togo came in looking to seal the victory with a second goal, but were not successful in front of goal.
Against the run of play, they were caught out on the counter when a ball was played out wide long on the right. Ndzinisa managed to sneak in between the two central defenders to head home from a cross.
But, in the 87th minute, Laba finally found his goal when he headed home from a corner, beating the keeper to the ball at the edge of the six yard box.
Togo thought the win was well secured but were stunned, against the run of play again when eSwatini broke on the right and ended up in Ngwenya striking an unstoppable belter that came off the bottom of the bar into the net, in the fifth minute of added time.
Source: CAF