Morocco head coach Walid Regragui says Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui could be fit in time to face Zambia in the Atlas Lions’ final Africa Cup of Nations Group F clash.

Mazraoui sustained a muscle tear in last month’s Champions League contest at Manchester United and did not feature in the group leaders’ first two matches of the tournament, a 3-0 victory over Tanzania followed by a disappointing 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Regragui’s men will look to secure top spot and ensure they advance to the knockouts with a win on Wednesday night, when Mazraoui might make a comeback despite reports Bayern have been attempting to have the player return to his club.

He told Moroccan media: “I don’t know where you got the information that Bayern Munich wants to recall him but we have all the rights to him during this Africa Cup of Nations.

“He is with us. Besides, it’s possible that he will play tomorrow.

“There are no easy matches. We want to aim for first place.

“We deserve this qualification. We have no time to rest, we are focused on bringing home three points. It’s going to be a tactical match against Zambia. It’s a good opposition.

“We have no absentees. We are on our tournament plan. We gave up a lot of energy (against DRC) but that’s how it is.

“We are prepared. We have high level players. We have a quality squad.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Monday revealed the organisation would be investigating both the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and Congolese Association Football Federation following a post-match incident in the draw that led to DRC captain Chancel Mbemba receiving a torrent of racial abuse.

Regragui, who was involved in a confrontation with the former Newcastle defender, has categorically denied there was any racist element to their heated encounter.

Zambia have drawn eight of their last nine matches at AFCON, including 1-1 draws against DRC and a 10-man stalemate with Tanzania to open this edition

They enter the contest third in Group F and trailing Morocco by just two points, level on two with second-placed DRC, so it remains all to play for.

Head coach Avram Grant told a press conference: “We already know that Morocco is a big team but we are not afraid of them.

“We will play them and I hope we will put up a good performance. We will have to show character,” he said

“That’s what we try to do every day, get better. And on all levels. Since I have been coaching this team, we have progressed in several areas but we must continue.

“Even when you become champion, you have to continue to improve the team.”

DR Congo head coach Sebastien Desabre is determined to ensure his side’s fate remains solely in their hands with victory over Tanzania.

A win against the Taifa Stars on Wednesday will guarantee DR Congo a birth in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations, with Morocco taking on Zambia in the other fixture in Group F.

Morocco currently top the table with four points, with DR Congo and Zambia on two points and Tanzania bottom with a single point from two games.

The top two teams from each of the six groups will advance to the last 16, along with the four best third-placed sides.

“We intend to give our best,” Desabre said. “We are confident and concentrated on the task. We are playing to win and its very important that we win.

“We need the victory and we also want to qualify because that is very important. We do not want to find ourselves in a situation of making calculations.

“We want to win and gain automatic qualification because anything less than that puts our fate outside of our hands.”

Tanzania assistant coach Hemed Suleiman will again take charge of the side against DR Congo after Adel Amrouche’s meltdown following the 3-0 loss to Morocco saw him banned for eight games and subsequently sacked.

“It’s a final for us,” Suleiman said.

“We tried to work on our problems. These games are hard but there is solidarity in the group.

“Ours for now is to focus on tomorrow’s game. We have to forget about the previous games and focus on this new task.”

South Africa coach Hugo Broos knows his side will be in a “tricky situation” if they lose their final Africa Cup of Nations group game to Tunisia.

Broos is slightly underplaying matters as Bafana Bafana will exit the competition with defeat, with reports in South African media suggesting he will be sacked if they go out.

A win or a draw will see them advance to the knockout stages while Tunisia, after taking just two points from their opening two games, must win and hope Mali’s match with Namibia goes in their favour.

“Our first goal was to achieve the second round and pass the group stage,” Broos said on the tournament’s official website.

“Our opponent has a slight advantage since they have had a day more to prepare.

“However, after Sunday’s big victory (over Namibia), we have a boost of energy. The team will be ready.

“We know Tunisia is a great team. I think they underestimated Namibia, the match against Mali is what we will analyse. We will fight every second for a good result.

“It will be a very heated game. They are under pressure but the same applies to us because if we lose, it will be a tricky situation.”

Tunisia must win to have any chance of progressing.

Their boss Jalel Kadri said: “We know people are expecting a lot from us. We are in a difficult group and need to play well in order to succeed.

“We have to start with high concentration in the match. We have several players with experience, but we still need to work hard to get the victory.

“South Africa has a team of players who have experience on the continent from Mamelodi Sundowns. Tunisia needs to use its strength. SA is good offensively and we should be ready for that.”

Namibia are relishing the opportunity to make history when they take on Mali in their final Africa Cup of Nations Group E match, head coach Collin Benjamin has said.

The Brave Warriors are looking to make it into the knockout rounds for the first time in a campaign that has already seen them register their maiden victory in the competition, 1-0 against Tunisia in their opener.

Having subsequently been thumped 4-0 by South Africa, Benjamin’s side are currently third in a pool that sees Mali top with four points, the Bafana Bafana second with three like them, and Tunisia bottom with one.

And he told a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s contest in San-Pedro Stadium: “We will not rely on other teams’ performance for qualification.

“We have the chance to write history for our country, and we look forward to the game.”

Namibia captain Peter Shalulile said: “Why should we wait for others to do us favours when we can do the job ourselves?

“We will show up tomorrow and give the game all we have got, and leave the rest to God.”

The shock result in Namibia’s opening game in the Ivory Coast was against opponents sat 87 places higher than them in FIFA’s world rankings, with Tunisia currently in 28th spot.

Wednesday’s clash at Laurent Pokou Stadium pits them against a Mali outfit ranked 51st who defeated South Africa 2-0 in their first fixture.

Eric Chelle’s team then battled out a 1-1 draw with the Tunisians in their second group game on Saturday.

Ghana conceded twice in stoppage time to draw 2-2 with Mozambique as a place in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations slipped through their fingers.

Jordan Ayew scored a pair of penalties which looked to be sending Ghana through, but a thrilling finale saw Geny Catamo pull one back from the spot before Reinildo Mandava equalised at the death.

The two dropped points meant Egypt pipped Ghana to second place in Group B, despite also conceding a last-gasp leveller in a 2-2 draw with Cape Verde, and Chris Hughton’s side are highly unlikely to qualify as one of best third-placed teams.

Antoine Semenyo went close for Ghana just seconds into the game, unleashing a powerful strike from the edge of the box, but goalkeeper Ivane Carminio managed to tip the ball over the bar.

Ghana were awarded a penalty when Joseph Paintsil twisted his way into the box and was fouled by Nanani and Jordan Ayew coolly rolled the resulting spot-kick into the bottom right corner to open the scoring after 15 minutes.

The Black Stars were dealt a blow when Majeed Ashimeru was taken off on a stretcher and Mozambique continued to threaten straight after the break as Richard Ofori punched a dangerous cross away before Lau King headed wide.

They had a flurry of opportunities as Bruno Langa forced Ofori into a save and another chance went begging when the Ghana keeper palmed a corner into the path of Nene, who headed well wide of a post.

Following a rare foray into the opposition area Ghana earned another penalty after Mandava handled the ball and Jordan Ayew stepped up again to double his side’s lead in the 70th minute.

Mozambique pulled one back a minute into stoppage time when they were given a penalty after an Andre Ayew handball and Catamo fired his effort into the bottom corner.

Their dramatic comeback was complete four minutes into added time when Mandava nodded the ball home from a corner to all but end Ghana’s hopes of making the next round.

Mohamed Salah was in the stands to watch Egypt scrape into the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations with a breathless 2-2 draw with Cape Verde.

The striker stayed on to watch his countrymen in their crucial final Group B match before flying back to Liverpool for treatment on a muscle injury.

He will have feared the worst with the Pharaohs staring at an early exit after falling behind to a goal from Gilson Tavares for the surprise group winners.

But substitute Trezeguet hauled them level and Mostafa Mohamed fired them ahead at the start of stoppage time.

The Blue Sharks then rocked Egypt by equalising through Bryan Teixeira, but Ghana being pegged back 2-2 by Mozambique meant the Pharaohs clung on to second place.

With Cape Verde having already topped the group, Egypt were hoping they might not play with the same intensity that brought them two wins out of two.

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha saved from Mohamed and Omar Marmoush while Zizo fired narrowly wide.

But in first-half stoppage time and with Cape Verde’s first real opportunity, the surprise package took the lead.

Ryan Mendes headed the ball into the path of Tavares, who turned sharply before crashing his shot low into the net.

Trezeguet should have equalised moments after coming on as a half-time substitute but he blazed his shot over the crossbar.

But the Trabzonspor midfielder made his mark three minutes later when he played a brilliant one-two with Ahmed Hegazy before lashing an angled shot past Vozinha.

Trezeguet almost immediately put Egypt ahead but drilled his shot across Vozinha and wide.

Mohamed had a golden chance from Trezeguet’s cross but agonisingly lifted his effort over the top.

But two minutes into stoppage time Mohamed chased on to a ball over the top and lifted it over Vozinha.

A dramatic victory seemed to have been secured but there was still time for Teixeira to fire an equaliser in the ninth minute of added time, although somehow Egypt could still celebrate qualification in the most nail-biting circumstances.

Mohamed Salah’s muscle injury is “more serious than first thought” and could keep the Liverpool forward out of action for nearly a month, according to his agent.

On Sunday, Liverpool announced the 31-year-old would be returning from the Ivory Coast, where he was representing Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations, to undergo treatment with the aim of returning to the Pharaohs if they progressed to the knockout stages of the competition.

That optimistic plan, at least according to Ramy Abbas Issa, now looks to have suffered a significant setback.

Posting to his personal account on X (formerly Twitter), the agent wrote: “Mohamed’s injury is more serious than first thought and he will be out for 21-28 days, and not two games.

“His best chance at participating in the current AFCON is by undergoing intensive rehabilitation in the UK and rejoining the team as soon as he is fit.”

The PA news agency has contacted Liverpool for comment.

An Egyptian FA statement, posted on Liverpool’s official website on Sunday evening, read: “After additional examinations were conducted on Mohamed Salah during the last hours, and after communication between the national team’s medical staff and his counterpart at Liverpool FC, it was decided that the player will return to England after the Cape Verde match tomorrow to complete his treatment, with the hope that he will join the national team in the semi-final of the AFCON if we qualify.”

Premier League leaders Liverpool initially struggled to create in the absence of their talisman during Sunday’s game at Bournemouth, but moved five points clear at the top thanks to a crushing 4-0 win earned by second-half doubles from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota.

Speaking after the victory at the Vitality Stadium, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp said it “makes sense” for Salah to fly back to Merseyside from the tournament.

“That’s the plan,” the German said before the news was confirmed. “If that’s already decided 100 per cent, I don’t know. But that’s the plan.

“However long he’s out, probably everybody sees it like this, it makes sense that he’s doing the rehab with us or with our people. If that’s written in stone already, I don’t know.

“I spoke with him directly after, the night when it happened. Since then he’s in contact with our doctor. I think he will be back.”

Africa Cup of Nations hosts Ivory Coast are on the brink of a humiliating exit from their own tournament after a shock 4-0 defeat by Equatorial Guinea.

Two more goals from Emilio Nsue, the hat-trick hero from the win against Guinea-Bissau, and strikes from Pablo Ganet and substitute Jannick Buyla left the Elephants with only a slim chance of qualifying after finishing third in Group A.

Three points means they are unlikely to be one of the four third-placed teams to get through, although agonisingly they might not know their fate until Wednesday evening when the group stage is completed.

Equatorial Guinea, meanwhile, were confirmed as surprise group winners ahead of Nigeria in second.

Ivory Coast had two goals disallowed for offside and snatched at a host of presentable chances, and they were made to pay.

They could have had a penalty when Nicolas Pepe burst into the area after a long ball over the top fell at his feet and was clearly fouled by Saul Coco.

Pepe opted to stay on his feet, however, but he was unable to round Equatorial Guinea keeper Jesus Owono and the opportunity went begging.

And Ivory Coast were stunned three minutes before half-time when Akapo surged past four non-existent tackles into the area and squared the ball for Nsue.

The former Birmingham and Middlesbrough full-back, now 34 and captaining his country, swept the ball home first time.

The host nation thought they had hit back immediately when Ibrahim Sangare bundled the ball into the net from Pepe’s cross but VAR confirmed the Nottingham Forest midfielder was offside.

Sangare should have equalised moments into the second half only to blaze wastefully over at the far post and Owono somehow denied Christian Kouame from point-blank range.

In the 67th minute Jean-Philippe Krasso took Seko Fofana’s pass in his stride and curled the ball past Owono, but once again VAR stepped in where an offside flag had not and the goal was chalked off.

Instead, six minutes later Ganet silenced the Alassane Ouattara Stadium with a curling free-kick which flew into the top corner.

The hosts’ fate was all but sealed when, in the 75th minute, Jose Machin led a counter-attack and teed up Nsue for a simple finish.

And arguably the biggest upset in AFCON history was complete two minutes from time when Buyla lashed home the fourth.

Opa Sangante’s own goal earned Nigeria a 1-0 win over Guinea-Bissau as they sealed their spot in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16.

The Super Eagles went ahead after 36 minutes when Sangante put through his own net but were unable to capitalise on a series of good chances to extend their lead, with Victor Osimhen going close multiple times.

With Equatorial Guinea thumping Ivory Coast in the other game in the group, Nigeria finished second in Group A to set up a meeting with the runners-up in Group C on Saturday.

The loss capped off a miserable campaign for already-eliminated Guinea-Bissau, who threatened Nigeria in the final stages but finished with three defeats.

Nigeria’s Stanley Nwabali made the first save of the game from Nito Gomes’ ambitious long-range effort, but the Super Eagles grew into the game, Joe Aribo’s powerful strike taking a deflection and giving Jonas Mendes a routine stop.

Nigeria went in front when Moses Simon whipped in a dangerous cross intended for Osimhen and Sangante smashed the ball into the roof of his own net.

They had a great chance to double the lead just before half-time as an unmarked Osimhen headed wide and threatened again two minutes into the second half when Mendes smothered Simon’s shot.

An action-packed start saw Osimhen’s headed effort loop wide and Dalcio had his low strike saved at the other end before Osimhen had an effort ruled out for offside.

Guinea-Bissau threatened in the final 10 minutes when Fali Cande’s free-kick took an awkward bounce, but Nwabali managed to push it wide before Gomes headed wide from the resulting corner.

The late pressure almost paid off as a ferocious strike from Franculino Dju was ruled out for offside and Nigeria managed to see the game out.

Rigobert Song is unconcerned about speculation over his position as Cameroon boss heading into their crucial Africa Cup of Nations clash against the Gambia.

The five-time champions started their campaign with an underwhelming draw against Guinea before losing to Senegal and almost certainly need to beat the Gambia to have a chance of progressing from Group C.

Victory at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake on Tuesday would leave them poised to be one of the top four third-placed sides, which would go a long way to taking some pressure off Song.

“I’ve experienced pressure since I was very young, I’ve known it, pressure, as a player,” Song, the ex-Liverpool and West Ham defender who is Cameroon’s most capped player ever, told a press conference.

“It’s part of the game; you win, you’re strong but you lose, you’re bad. I’m not getting into this game.

“I don’t panic, I don’t stress. I listen, I understand the criticism, I know what I have to do, I stay calm. My players know me, I simply tell them: ‘Do your job’. I trust my players, we’ll get there.”

Cameroon will once again be without captain and star striker Vincent Aboubakar, who suffered a thigh injury on the eve of the tournament and has not regained full fitness.

“I don’t think Abou will be ready to play,” Song added. “We are counting on him for after these three matches.”

The Gambia sit bottom of the group after back-to-back defeats but boss Tom Saintfiet remains upbeat.

“We’re still alive, the situation just got more complicated,” Saintfiet said after his side’s loss to Guinea on Friday. “We can still qualify with three points in our next game.”

Algeria head coach Djamel Belmadi has backed under-fire captain Riyad Mahrez to rediscover his best form at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Mahrez, who signed for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli for £30million last summer after five years at Manchester City, has been heavily criticised for his below-par displays in Algeria’s first two group matches.

The Desert Foxes drew 2-2 with Burkina Faso on Saturday after being held 1-1 by Angola in their opening Group D game and must beat Mauritania by two clear goals on Tuesday to guarantee a place in the knockout stage.

Belmadi told a press conference: “I don’t want people to forget what Mahrez can do.

“These were not his best two matches in the national team, but do not kill him quickly.

“I will not tell you whether he will be a starter or on the bench, that is not the most important thing.

“He is still our leader. He has always played under pressure. The team and I have complete confidence in him.”

Group favourites Algeria, tournament winners in 2019, twice came from behind to salvage a point against Burkina Faso thanks to Baghdad Bounedjah’s double, which included a stoppage-time equaliser.

Belmadi’s side are unbeaten in their last 10 matches but are bidding for their first win in six Africa Cup of Nations fixtures.

Mauritania boss Amir Abdou apologised to the West African nation after his side’s 3-2 defeat to Angola on Saturday left them bottom of the group without a point.

The Lions of Chinguetti, who lost out to a stoppage-time penalty when beaten 1-0 by Burkina Faso in their opening game, have yet to win at the Africa Cup of Nations after losing six and drawing two of their previous eight encounters.

Abdou told a press conference after his side’s defeat to Angola: “We are not here to distribute points. We will prepare for Algeria.

“I respect the Algerian team. It is a very good team. Our objective is to put in a good performance and will hang on to get a good result.

“We have not given a bad image, we must continue to move forward and not lament. I am sorry for disappointing the people of Mauritania.”

South Africa cruised to a 4-0 win over Namibia to get their Africa Cup of Nations campaign back on track.

After going down 2-0 to Mali in their opener, Bafana Bafana got off the mark at the second attempt as Themba Zwane hit a brace after Percy Tau’s early penalty, with Thapelo Maseko adding a fourth in the second half.

Namibia started brightly but Prins Tijueza shot straight at goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and an offside flag spared Peter Shalulile’s blushes as he missed from close range.

Momentum shifted when, after a long VAR check, South Africa were awarded a penalty for a handball by Riaan Hanamub as he challenged Thapelo Morena in the box.

Tau, whose penalty miss proved costly against Mali, took responsibility again and this time made no mistake with a low, powerful strike into the right-hand corner.

Namibia’s Absalom Iimbondi then poked over from right in front of goal and four minutes later South Africa doubled their lead, with Morena pulling the ball back from the byline for Zwane to apply a lovely finish, sending the ball just inside the post.

Sphephelo Sithole headed narrowly over, but Zwane all but sealed the win with five minutes of the first half still left, cutting in from the left and shaping to bend the ball beyond Lloyd Kazapua.

And substitute Maseko struck the fourth in the 75th minute, breaking the offside trap before hitting a shot that was too hot to handle for Kazapua.

Leicester forward Patson Daka headed in an 88th-minute equaliser as 10-man Zambia salvaged a hard-earned point at the death to deny Tanzania a first ever Africa Cup of Nations win.

Tanzania had led from the 11th minute when Simon Msuva punished some sloppy play with a powerful strike and Zambia’s problems grew worse when Rodrick Kabwe earned a second yellow card just before half-time.

But just when it appeared Avram Grant’s side were running out of time, Daka got across his man to divert a corner inside the far post.

Tanzania were under new, temporary, management in the form of Hemed Morocco after Adel Amrouche’s meltdown following the 3-0 loss to Morocco saw him banned for eight games and subsequently sacked.

They offered the ideal response when they took the lead 11 minutes in, with Mbwaba Samatta picking off the ball in midfield and striding forward to tee up Msuva, whose shot was still rising as it found the top corner.

Zambia wasted opportunities to level, with Fashion Sakala heading wide from point-blank range on the half-hour mark, and then somewhat harshly lost Kabwe to a needless second yellow in the 44th minute.

With the extra man, Tanzania were on top for much of the second half. They might have had a second when Mohamed Hussein’s cross deflected off Frankie Musonda and bounced narrowly wide, while substitute Morice Abraham brought a good save from Zambia goalkeeper Lawrence Mulenga.

Daka had already wasted a good chance when he shot straight at Aishi Manula just after the hour, but with time running out the 25-year-old scored to avoid a costly defeat.

Chris Hughton acknowledged the “magnitude” of Ghana’s crunch clash with Mozambique ahead of their final Group B game at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Both sides go into the game with one point from their opening two games and know that even a win might not be enough to send them into the last 16, with Egypt, a point better off, taking on already-qualified Cape Verde in the other game in the pool.

“We are aware of the magnitude of this game. We know that this is a game that we have to win,” former Premier League manager Hughton told a press conference, according to Ghanaian newspaper the Daily Graphic.

“Our preparation going into the game has been the same as the two previous games. All we can do is prepare the team to play a very tough match, as all of these games are, and make sure that we put in a level of performance that allows us to win the game.”

Mohammed Kudus passed a late fitness test to score a brace in Ghana’s 2-2 draw with Egypt last time out.

The West Ham forward remains optimistic Ghana can advance to the next round.

“It is very possible. Until we finish the last game in the group, it’s the same focus,” he said on the Ghana Football Association website.

“You could see the fighting spirit and the energy from the guys (against Egypt). We have to do more than that in the last game because we have to get the three points at all cost and we will see what happens after.”

Midfielder Majeed Ashimeru was replaced in the second half of that game with a knock, but the Ghana FA said he had made “significant progress” in his recovery, meaning he could feature on Monday.

Mozambique manager Chiquinho Conde said his side would “approach the game as if it were a final”.

He added: “Ghana’s strengths are in their individual abilities, but my team has assessed them and will identify the weak link in the team so that we can get the desired result.”

Injured Egypt forward Mohamed Salah has accepted criticism of his recent performances as he backed his team-mates to beat Cape Verde without him in their must-win fixture on Monday.

The Liverpool star was hurt in Thursday’s 2-2 draw with Ghana, and may have already played his last match in this tournament if Egypt cannot find a way past group leaders Cape Verde.

The 31-year-old attended Sunday’s pre-match press conference alongside coach Rui Vitoria but declined to give an update on his injury, saying there would be a joint statement from Egypt and Liverpool by Monday.

Having been criticised for his displays in Egypt’s opening two matches, draws against Mozambique and Ghana, Salah said: “No worries about that. I accept it openly. I played in one-and-a-half matches only.

“Maybe the performance wasn’t the best in the first match. I’m not here to play individually but as part of the team.

“The positive thing is that despite being behind in the first two matches, we came back and drew. I don’t have a specific explanation for the performance, but football is a team game, and the most important thing is to win the next match.

“This is the Egypt national team, not Salah’s team. I’m a player among the others on the squad…I have already won all possible tournaments at all levels. I want to win the Africa Cup of Nations, and I believe it will happen sooner or later.”

Cape Verde have already secured qualification and top spot by winning their opening two fixtures, but coach Bubista has no plans to take it easy on Egypt.

“Everyone should be ready to contribute,” he said. “We have confidence in all the players, and we will do everything to win against Egypt.

“We have a great responsibility to win in front of our fans, and the group points are not closed yet. We must win against Egypt and we will play in the same way we played against everyone.”