World Cup 2026: Slow progress for Africa after late goals and underdog success

Former Ivory Coast defender Emmanuel Eboue told the BBC before the tournament that African sides were susceptible to conceding late goals because of a lack of concentration.

His assertion was born out as DR Congo and the Ivorians both conceded winners in the 86th minute of their last-32 ties, while Canada scored in the second minute of added time to send South Africa home in the same round.

Senegal (against Belgium in the last 32) and Egypt (against Argentina in the last 16) went from 2-0 up late on to 2-2 within the space of three and five minutes respectively. The Teranga Lions eventually lost to a 125th-minute penalty and the Pharaohs were eliminated by Enzo Fernandez’s 92nd-minute header.

With Algeria and the Ivorians also conceding injury-time goals when on the brink of famous results in the group stage, it begs the question: do African teams have a problem closing out games?

“I wouldn’t say it was a trend. I think it’s just unlucky,” Dr Nikita Rowley, a chartered psychologist and course director for sport and exercise psychology at Coventry University, told BBC Sport Africa.

“Every team is more susceptible to mistakes in the closing stages of a match. By that point players are experiencing both physical and cognitive fatigue.

“That cognitive fatigue can affect attention, decision making, communication and makes more lapses more likely. Emotions can be heightened and every action carries greater significance.

“The closer you get to something historic, the more psychologically demanding it can become.”