None of the five African World Cup teams won their first group stage match.
Ghana, Senegal, and Cameroon all lost, while Tunisia and Morocco tied. African teams are suffering despite the fact that each team had its say and, with a little of luck or efficiency, might have secured the desired three points.
Group A
Sadio Mané’s injury-related absence was felt by the Senegalese squad. The Lions were unable to penetrate the Dutch defense. Despite a good first half, the combination Sarr-Dia-Diatta was too weak. There is still hope, particularly if they win on Friday (November 25) and eliminate Qatar.
After a very poor performance, the host nation succumbed to Ecuador 2-0 in the first encounter and suffered a devastating loss. The Netherlands, the ostensibly strongest country in the alliance, already seem invulnerable.
On November 29, Senegal will compete against Ecuador in their last group round encounter.
Group D
The Tunisians, who stunned Denmark 0-0, have retained all of their chances to advance from the first round. They will need to perform well against Australia (on November 26) and sustain a goal differential that might be critical to the final score. On November 30, they will compete against France.
The defending champions are hampered by star injuries (Pogba, Kanté, Benzema, Kimpembe, Nkunku, and Lucas Hernandez). However, they began the tournament with a dominant 4-1 win against the Socceroos and will qualify if they defeat Denmark on Saturday (Nov. 26).
Group F
Morocco is still in contention for qualification after drawing 0-0 with Croatia, the 2018 World Cup runner-up and clear favorite to qualify. Walid Regragui’s squad is excited for the November 27 match against Belgium. On their side, there are five Belgian natives (Selim Amallah, Ilias Chair, Anass Zaroury, Bilal El Khannouss). The team will next face Canada on December 1.
The Red Devils are ranked first in Group F. Canada was defeated by the United States 1-0. If they defeat Morocco on Sunday, they will qualify for the quarterfinals (Nov. 27).
Group G
Breel Embolo, a native of Yaoundé, scored the lone goal in Switzerland’s 1-0 victory against Cameroon in Group G. From the perspective of the Indomitable Lions, the challenge is already impossible.
Rigobert Song may have misgivings when he recalls the early stage of his men’s victory against the Nazis.
They must calm their nerves before facing Serbia on November 28. Then, on December 2, the United States will face the current world record holder, Brazil.
Brazil’s World Cup campaign began on a positive note. Richarlison scored twice as the Seleço defeated Serbia (2-0) on Thursday (November 24). He scored with a bicycle turn from inside the penalty area! This is without a doubt one of the most stunning goals scored since the beginning of the tournament.
Group H
Andre Ayew and his teammates exerted themselves throughout an exciting first match. Specifically, they score the first two African goals in World Cup history. A shot from close range by Abedi Pele’s oldest son and a goal by Osman Bukari.
Despite their efforts, they were up against a formidable Portuguese squad that was well monitored. Cristiano Ronaldo joined World Cup lore on Thursday (November 24), becoming the first player to score at least one goal in all five World Cups. Portugal went on to defeat Ghana (3-2).
Since Uruguay and South Korea did not score (0-0), the Black Stars’ path to the round of 16 remained open despite their current position in bottom place in Group H. The Taegeuk Warriors will be their opponent on November 28 and the Celeste on December 2.
