Guinea opened their TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship CHAN PAMOJA 2024 campaign with a hard-earned 1–0 win over regional rivals Niger on Monday at the Nelson Mandela National Stadium in Kampala
A second-half strike from Mohamed Bangoura II proved decisive in a match defined more by grit and discipline than flair or attacking flair The winger latched onto a low cross from Alhassane Bangoura and finished calmly into the bottom corner just moments after the restart The goal was initially ruled out for offside but a quick VAR check confirmed it to spark celebrations from the Guinea bench
The result puts Guinea in a strong position in Group C which also features hosts Uganda tournament favourites Algeria and South Africa For Niger it marks a disappointing start to their fifth CHAN campaign after finishing fourth in 2022
The first half was cagey and scrappy with both teams reluctant to take risks Midfield duels dominated the early exchanges while clear chances were scarce Lansana Sylla and Théodore Jules tried their luck from distance but neither effort seriously troubled the goalkeepers
Frequent fouls disrupted the rhythm with five yellow cards issued three of them to Niger The physical intensity underlined the stakes as both sides looked to avoid a losing start in a tough group
Guinea broke the deadlock just two minutes into the second half Bangoura II reacted quickest to a cross from the left steering the ball past the Niger keeper before the assistant’s flag was overturned by VAR
Niger responded with attacking changes and pushed forward with urgency Substitute Abdoul-Latif Goumey came closest to levelling with a looping header that drifted wide in the 76th minute Ridouane Assane also tested the Guinea defence from range while Bilal Oumarou delivered several dangerous balls from the flanks
Guinea remained organised and compact Centre-back Mohamed Diabaté stood tall at the heart of the defence while Ousmane Drame and Ibrahima Sankhon added steel in midfield Goalkeeper Ousmane Camara though not often called into action showed strong command during a series of late corners
With eight minutes added time announced Niger threw everything forward A blocked shot from Assane in the 96th minute and a final offside flag against Abdoul Kassali dashed their hopes of a late equaliser
Guinea now turn their focus to their next group fixture as they aim to build momentum and replicate their past deep runs in the tournament Coach Harouna Doula and his Niger squad face an uphill battle to keep their quarter-final hopes alive
