RPL players on international duty: Kabore qualifies for Africa Cup of Nations in first place, Gigashvili makes debut for Georgian U-21 team

On 29 March, qualifiers for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and friendlies were held.

2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

Group B

Burkina Faso 1-0 South Sudan

Dynamo midfielder Charles Kabore led his team against South Sudan as captain, but did not finish the match because of his dismissal. In the 74th minute the midfielder received a booking, and six minutes later the referee sent off the Dynamo player for a second yellow card. Khimki striker Mohamed Konate was not included in the squad. 

Burkina Faso, with 12 points, finished top of their qualifying group. The Africa Cup of Nations finals will be held in January-February 2022.

Friendlies

Uzbekistan 0-1 Iraq

Oston Urunov was included in the hosts' starting line-up and spent 60 minutes on the pitch. Uzbekistan's next matches will be their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June. Their opponents are Singapore (7 June), Yemen (11 June) and Saudi Arabia (15 June).

Georgia U-21 4-1 Belarus U-21

Tambov defender Zurab Gigashvili made his debut for the Georgian Under-21s. The defender was named in the starting line-up and played the entire first half. Georgia will skip Euro 2023 qualifiers, as they and Romania are the host countries for the finals.

Ecuador 2-1 Bolivia

Sochi midfielder Christian Noboa started the match against Bolivia with the captain's armband and played 71 minutes. In June 2021, Ecuador will meet Brazil (3 June) and Peru (8 June) in the South American 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Ecuador will meet the same opponents in the group stage of the Copa America, with that group completed by Colombia and Venezuela. The Copa America will be held in Argentina and Colombia from 13 June to 10 July.

Photo: Konstantin Tverdovsky/Dynamo