Jwaneng Galaxy coach Morena Ramoreboli and Kaizer Chiefs defender Thatayaone Ditlhokwe sealed the 2025 AFCON finals qualification with Botswana.
The Zebras bravely fought to hold seven-time African champions Egypt to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday evening at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.
Ramoreboli’s troops displayed remarkable courage, ending Egypt’s 12-match home winning streak and securing a crucial draw.
Omaatla Kebatho opened the scoring for the visitors in the 11th minute, and then Ibrahim Hassan levelled matters for the hosts 17 minutes into the game.
This was Morena Ramoreboli’s second match as Botswana’s interim coach after his appointment in October. The 43-year-old replaced Didier Gomes Da Rosa who resigned from his post. On the other hand, the Zebras captain, Ditlhokwe, who has seen limited action at Chiefs, led the Botswana national team from the back.
In his first match played last Friday against Mauritania, Ramoreboli’s side were held to a 1-1 draw at home.
BOTSWANA QUALIFY FOR AFCON FINALS FOR THE SECOND TIME
The result saw Ramoreboli make history, becoming the second coach to take Botswana to the continental stage to showcase their talent and skill. In addition
The only time Botswana booked a ticket to the AFCON finals was back in 2012 when it was co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. They failed to impress as their campaign ended in the group stages without a single point.
The Southern African nation went into the match against Egypt only needing a draw to seal their qualification. After the draw, Botswana remained second with eight points in six outings. This was after registering two victories, two draws and two defeats.
Botswana joined Egypt as the two sides that qualified from Group C. The Pharaohs finished the qualifiers at the summit of the log with 14 points, after four victories and two draws.
In another Group C match played on Tuesday, Mauritania defeated 10-man Cape Verde 1-0 at home. The narrow victory saw Mauritania finish third with seven points, whilst Cape Verde are last with four points.
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