While the Benin under-20 national team advanced to the 2023 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations with outstanding performances in the qualifying competition in Niger the senior side got off to a rocky start in qualifying for the 2023 AFCON. The Squirrels were defeated by a fierce Senegal team in their opener on the road but the ire of supporters was drawn when the team followed it up with a surprise 1-0 home defeat to Mozambique on Wednesday. Benin are now bottom of Group L with work to do in order to catch up to Mozambique and Rwanda for a top-2 spot to qualify for the final competition in Ivory Coast.
Africa Foot United reporter Jules Tovodounon described the scenes following the defeat to Mozambique when the Benin team bus was attacked by supporters throwing rocks, resulting in damage and injuries to players. The Squirrels will attempt to find their form when they face Rwanda in back-to-back matches in September, which represents a good opportunity to earn points against the team seen as the weakest in Group L.
