Gabon’s 1-0 victory against the Central African Republic (CAR) on Monday at the Orlando Stadium cemented their second position on the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers’ group table.
Guélor Kanga scored the only goal in the match that put Gabon to victory with a second-half penalty in a tough game.
The game turned out to be against what was expected as the Central African Republic struggled to break their winless run since their second game of the tournament, but Gabon did not give any chance.
Gabon paid more attention to their defense against much pressure from their opponent, CAR, ensuring that they win their last match of the campaign. The team secured a total of 10 points, putting them in a comfortable second position after Morocco, which tops the group table.
While Gabon has now qualified for the 2025 AFCON game, the Central African Republic witnessed an extension of their winless run to five games with no qualification for the 2025 game in Morocco.
Central African Republic won their only game at the beginning of 2024 against Lesotho, which is now the team’s only luck in the tournament.
While Gabon had already qualified and CAR eliminated before the match began, the team showed resilience, put pressure on Gabon, and ultimately lost against Gabon.
The win created an opportunity for Gabon to celebrate a hard-earned victory, preventing them from an embarrassing last game; they have been qualified for the 2025 AFCON tournament.
