The African Nations Championship (CHAN 2022) continues in Algeria as 17 teams battle for supremacy in the biennial continental soccer tournament.
Only players who play in Africa’s domestic leagues are eligible to play in the tournament, so this is a great opportunity to showcase the talents of lesser-known players from the African continent.
Read on to find out which teams made the best start and which have a long way to go after CHAN 2022 matchday two.
What is the situation after the second round of CHAN 2022
Group A: Hosts Algeria at the top of the table
Hosts Algeria are proudly top of Group A after two wins in as many home games. A 1-0 victory over Libya in the first round put them in a strong position, and the same result on January 17 against Ethiopia puts the Greens in first place after a great start to the season.
To finish top of the group, Algeria will have to at least be tied with Mozambique, who have won four points from their first two games. Mozambique started the campaign with a 0–0 draw against Ethiopia before a 3–2 win over Libya saw them maintain their undefeated record before the final match of the group stage.
After a draw and two defeats, Ethiopia still has a chance to finish second in the group if they beat Libya in their third match. Libya is currently bottom of Group A after two straight defeats.
Group B: Uganda leads with a win and a draw
After the first two games, Uganda leads Group B with a win, and the draw now gives them a total of four points. After the first leg where they drew 0-0 with DR Congo, The Cranes are on their way to a knockout with a 1-0 win over Senegal thanks to a Mame Libasse Laye Ngom goal. the band of the ICôte d’Ivoire group on Sunday.
However, Senegal, who had a player sent off in their defeat to Uganda, still have a chance of winning the group after beating Ivory Coast 1-0 in the first round. On two points, DR Congo are also not out of the question knowing that a win in their final game against Senegal on Sunday would be enough to move on.
Group C: Madagascar
Morocco pulled out of the tournament at the last minute, each of their opponents in Group C winning 3-0.
It leaves Madagascar and Ghana at the top of the group with six points, despite the former having played once and the latter twice.
Madagascar started their campaign with an impressive 2–1 victory over Ghana which secured them pole position. However, Ghana came back with a 3-1 win over Sudan in their second match, even after goal scorer Daniel Afriyie was sent off in the 98th minute.
Sudan still have a chance of advancing to the knockout stage if they win their final group match against Madagascar on Monday. So watch out for that space, this group is still wide open.
Group D
Three teams from Group D have been knocked out so far, with Angola leading the group on two points, playing a game more than Mali or Mauritania. Both of the last two teams have one point each, but not all of them were as dated as the points table suggests. On 16 January, Mali and Angola played an exciting six-goal match that ended in a 3-3 draw.
Group E
Cameroon currently leads Group E after winning the only game they have played so far 1-0 against Congo on Monday. Niger is one point behind them, being drawn against Congo on Friday 20 January, meaning there is plenty to play for in Group E as they head into the knockout rounds.
