AFCON U20: Battle for quarterfinal heats up as three teams fight for single ticket in Group C

Benin, Tunisia, and Zambia will all be seeking to ensure that they get the remaining automatic ticket to the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) U20 tournament currently ongoing in Egypt when the final round of Group C matches are played on Monday night.

Already, the Gambia have confirmed the top spot in the group following two consecutive wins against Tunisia and Zambia, leaving the other three teams who still have a mathematical chance of finishing in second place to fight for a win. Here is a preview of the games.

Gambia vs Benin – 2000EAT

Benin coach Mathias Deguenon says his team must find a way of beating leaders Gambia in their final group match in Alexandria.

While the Young Scorpions have confirmed top spot in the group following victories over Tunisia and Zambia, the Cheetahs currently sit in second place on two points after drawing their opening two matches against Zambia and Tunisia.

Having given away a 2-1 lead in drawing against Zambia before firing blanks against Tunisia at the Haras El Hodoud Stadium, Benin need a win to be sure of advancing to the quarterfinals alongside Gambia.

"Everything is about us as we have to find the strategies to beat this Gambian team. It will be our third match and we will be playing against the group leader. We want to qualify for the next round of the tournament so we will have to be ready from the start of the match and we have to put our attack to good use,” the head coach said.

Although Gambia have already qualified, head coach Abdoulie Bojang says winning against Benin would be important.

"There can be no room for complacency. We will treat Benin like any other team. It would be very important to keep winning," he noted.

Tunisia vs Zambia – 2000EAT

The other showdown in Group C promises fireworks as both Tunisia and Zambia are tied on 1 point each with fate potentially in their own hands.

The Young Carthage Eagles of Tunisia lost their first match 1-0 to Gambia before drawing goalless against Benin while Zambia recorded a 2-2 draw against Benin and a 2-0 loss to Gambia.

“Everyone is ready to fight to win. We know that the match is important and crucial, so we will not waste the opportunity. We still have hope for promotion and we will do our best to book the qualification ticket," Zambia’s goalkeeper Jeban Tembo said.

Tunisia coach Adel Sellimi is optimistic about his team's chances against the Young Copper Bullets despite the team failing to score since the tourney started.

"The match is very important for us given that we want to win and qualify for the quarter-finals. We prepared strongly and focused on the mental and technical factors and this is the most important thing at the current stage," Sellimi said at his pre-match press conference.