Following the opening Group A African Cup of Nations match played on Saturday night, Africa’s premier football competition is poised to continue on Sunday with three matches lined up.On Saturday night, goals from Seko Fofana and Jean Krasso propelled the hosts, Ivory Coast, to a victory over Guinea-Bissau, securing their top position in Group A.Nigeria vs. Equatorial GuineaOn Sunday, the first game of the day, kicking off at 5 PM EAT, will witness Nigeria taking on Equatorial Guinea in the second Group A match. This marks the first encounter between the Super Eagles and Equatorial Guinea in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations.Three-time champions Nigeria, making their 20th appearance at the tournament, aim for their fourth title. Having clinched victory in 1980, 1994, and 2013, they enter the competition having reached the semi-finals in 14 of their last 17 AFCON appearances.During the qualifying rounds for the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria netted 22 goals in six games, the highest tally among the 24 participating teams. Victor Osimhen, the star player from Napoli, contributed 10 of those goals.Equatorial Guinea, appearing in their fourth CAF Africa Cup of Nations, qualified as non-hosts for the second time. Their previous performances include quarter-finals in 2012 and 2021, with a 4th place finish in 2015. Despite their consistent advancement to the knockout stages, they have scored just 11 goals, never exceeding two in an AFCON game.AFC Leopards seek maximum points in Kisumu as Pamzo-led Shabana head to BungomaEgypt vs. MozambiqueRecord champions Egypt will then take to the field at 8 PM, seeking to secure their first title since 2010 and their eighth overall. This encounter will mark the fourth meeting between Egypt and Mozambique at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations.The previous three encounters, all in the group stage, resulted in 2-0 victories for Egypt in 1986, 1998, and 2010.Mozambique finds themselves in the same group as Egypt for the fourth time in five appearances at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. Despite their consistent participation, 31% of Mozambique’s matches at the tournament have been against the Pharaohs, including their opening match in Abidjan.With this being Mozambique’s fifth appearance at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, their first since 2010, they have previously finished at the bottom of their group in each of their four participations. Notably, they are yet to secure a victory in their 12 previous matches (D2 L10), with only Benin (14) playing more matches at the tournament without a single win.Bandari Youth and Young Gunners set for a showdown in Safaricom Chapa Dimba Coast regional finalsGhana vs. Cape VerdeThe final match of the day will witness the four-time champions, the Black Stars of Ghana, facing Cape Verde, as they seek to end a 42-year wait for the continental title.This marks the second encounter between Ghana and Cape Verde at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, with Ghana securing a 2-0 victory in the quarter-finals of the 2013 edition. Ghana, making their 24th appearance in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, won the tournament in four of their first seven appearances but have failed to secure a victory in their subsequent 16.Ghana has won only one of their last nine matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (D4 L4), a 2-0 group stage victory against Guinea-Bissau in 2019. They were eliminated in the group stages of the last AFCON.Cape Verde, in their fourth appearance at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations since 2013, has drawn six of their 11 matches at the tournament. Their two wins occurred against Angola in 2013 (2-1) and Ethiopia in 2022 (1-0), both in the group stages.While Cape Verde has qualified from the AFCON group stages on two previous occasions (2013, 2021), they have never won a game in the knockout phase. Impressively, they have lost only one of their nine group matches (W2 D6), that lone defeat coming against Burkina Faso in January 2022 (0-1).Cape Verde has maintained an undefeated record in their opening matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (W1 D2).NSL: Xavier out to end rot at Kajiado as Nyaberi kick starts Nairobi United tenure
