The June international break's high point was Senegal's performance against England, but there were also impressive performances from Africa's other sides. However, South African fans might prefer to ignore it.
The Teranga Lions demonstrate their AFCON qualifications.
The most notable outcome of the international break was at Nottingham Forest's City Ground, where Senegal unexpectedly defeated England 3-1, handing Thomas Tuchel his first significant defeat as England's head coach.Surprisingly, in 21 prior games, England had never lost against an African national team in a senior match, whether friendly or competitive.
In retrospect, we should not have been concerned about how Senegal would find the cutting edge to harm Tuchel's team without talisman Sadio Mané.
The West Africans completely outperformed their opponents in a replay of their 2022 World Cup match, which the Three Lions won 3-0, and made a clear statement of purpose ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations later this year.
After seven minutes, Harry Kane's goal after a possession blunder by Lamine Camara seemed to indicate that Senegal should brace themselves for another Al Khor humiliation.
But the Lions surprised everyone by dominating their hosts in the first half, as the West Africans repeatedly showed that they could easily outplay their opponents.
They undoubtedly ought to have scored before Ismaïla Sarr equalized in the 40th minute. The Crystal Palace wide player became the first player to score against Tuchel's England after beating Kyle Walker to a cutback.
After the hour, Strasbourg's Habib Diarra, who has been linked to a summer transfer to Leeds United, added a second goal from close range, and Metz's Cheikh Sabaly ended any chances of an England draw with a counterattacking goal in stoppage time.
Widemen Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye were especially outstanding, giving fullbacks Kyle Walker and Myles Lewis-Skelley a terrible game while showcasing the explosive turn of pace and directness that turned out to be (nearly) Everton's only bright spot during a trying campaign.
In other areas, Idrissa Gueye and the vivacious Lamine in midfield turned back the clock, Diarra, the goal scorer, showed off his goal-scoring ability and the breadth of his play, while Édouard Mendy made a fantastic save to keep Bukayo Saka out.
Only Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea, facing his new teammate Trevoh Chalobah, could be able to reflect on remorse after yet another performance marred by wasted opportunities and poorly delivered lines.
Pape Thiaw of Senegal, who took over after AFCON-winning head coach Aliou Cisse abruptly left in October, has taken his time to establish his own identity on the team while Tuchel works tirelessly to get the most out of this gifted group of players.
Senegal, who have not lost yet, showed their resilience during the international break when they drew 1-1 with the Republic of Ireland. However, Thiaw has also given the Lions a spark and a determination that had started to wane under Cisse.
In particular, Ndiaye adds flair and unpredictability, while Jackson's lack of skill causes his opponents constant trouble with his pressing, awkward physical presence and movement off the ball.
Given that Senegal was only eliminated from the previous Nations Cup on penalties by Cote d'Ivoire, its most recent regular-time loss dates back to September 2023 and a friendly loss to Algeria.
Incorporating Sadio Mane into the mix will undoubtedly make the Teranga Lions one of the leading teams in the AFCON later this year.
Dessers appears to be a viable choice for Nigeria.
Nigeria's attackers had a fantastic opportunity during this international break, since the Super Eagles played three games without players like Taiwo Awoniyi, Ademola Lookman, and Victor Osimhen.In their place, players like Tolu Arokodare, Victor Boniface, and Umar Sadiq had a chance to establish themselves before the Nations Cup and (perhaps) the World Cup in the upcoming year.
Even though Arokodare scored the equalizer in the 1-1 draw with Russia, Dessers' first goal against Ghana will probably go down in history as the most because the Rangers star led the Super Eagles to victory over their bitter rivals and, eventually, to Unity Cup glory.
Having failed to adapt his outstanding scoring prowess across Europe to the international arena, the striker, who scored 29 goals for the Scottish giants last season, had appeared to have finished his international career, forever unsatisfied with the Super Eagles.
With his remarkable goal totals with NAC Breda and Heracles Almelo ultimately leading to transfers where he has struggled to reclaim his prior momentum, Dessers has had very few opportunities over the years.
Given his powerful combination of physicality, bullish attitude, and poaching instincts, the 30-year-old's two seasons at Rangers have been the first time in his career that he has scored ten goals in a single league campaign.
Given that he has many other offensive alternatives, Nigerian coaches have not always seemed to trust him. However, as he approaches the fall of his career and there are many uncertainties surrounding his future with Rangers, he might have done enough to push himself into a major tournament.
Morocco's stars are El Kaabi, Hakimi, and Rahimi.
Morocco had a great international break, defeating Benin 1-0 before negotiating a North African derby against a lackluster Tunisia to open the new AFCON stadium in Fez.After scoring in the Tunisia encounter, Ayoub El Kaabi established himself as the Atlas Lions' front-runner, surpassing Youssef En-Nesyri, with a spectacular acrobatic bicycle kick late in the first half that was sufficient to defeat Benin in a low-key contest.
Since Achraf Hakimi, the captain of Paris Saint-Germain, opened the scoring in the derby before leaving for the United States to compete in the Club World Cup, it is understandable that Morocco's heavily rotated team lacked the vigor and unity of the Tunisia victory's starting XI.
Arguably Morocco's most creative creator during the triumph over Tunisia, Soufiane Rahimi, will also play for Al Ain in the USA.
The depth of Bafana's lack of strength
With one national team group, led by primary head coach Hugo Broos, playing Tanzania and Mozambique, and another full squad competing in the regional COSAFA Cup, the South African Football Association had a grand plan before this international break.To make up for a lackluster 0-0 draw with Tanzania, Broos's seniors defeated Mozambique 2-0 without any Mamelodi Sundowns players due to the Club World Cup. But the COSAFA side failed to fulfill their end of the agreement.
They advanced to Sunday's final with just four points from their group-stage campaign, defeated the Comoros in the semifinal, but lost badly to Angola 3-0, extending their drought without a Southern African title to four championships.
With the help of two goals from Vojvodina forward Depú, reigning champions Angola easily defeated PSL mainstays Kabelo Dlamini, Wandile Duba, and Boitumelo Radiopane to keep the title.
It was an exhibition that eventually highlighted South Africa's dependence on Sundowns and revealed the country's lack of depth rather than its richness.
Africa lost the Tournoi de Toulon match.
Congo-Brazzaville and Mali finished the 51st Tournoi Maurice Revello (previously the Tournoi de Toulon) in seventh and fifth position, respectively, disappointing the African teams.
It is a long cry from some of the continent's past performances at the event, when El Kaabi, Achraf Bencharki, and Francois Omam-Biyik used the youth tournament as a launching pad to bigger things, while Cote d'Ivoire won in 2010.
Even though Mali, an eternal underage competitor, had some potential players, like Wilson Samake of Rennes, Villarreal wonderkid Mahmoud Barry, and Gaoussou Diakité, a target for Newcastle United, both teams were not in the running for the top prize at the end of the tournament.
Steven Ndoura, who was born in Ivry-sur-Seine to Cameroonian parents, was the star of the show for France instead. He had a double against Saudi Arabia in the final on Sunday.