Afcon 2021: Minnows Comoros dream of World Cup after shocking Ghana

The 16 players who contributed to Comoros' shock Africa Cup of Nations win over Ghana will forever enter the island nation's history books, says goalscorer Ahmed Mogni.

Mogni scored twice in the debutants' 3-2 win against the four-time African champions, who fielded a handful of Premier League players.

«This is something special — this victory is historic,» said the forward, who plays his football in the French third division with FC Annecy.

«When we open the history books in the next couple of years, it will be all these players who will be inside.»

Their stunning upset over the Black Stars in their Group C clash on Tuesday, celebrated loudly with centre-back Kassim M'Dahoma filmed dancing on a table,external-link provided a first-ever Nations Cup win for a country which has enjoyed a remarkable footballing rise.

Comoros, rated 132nd in the world, are the third lowest-ranked side of the 24 teams in Cameroon for the tournament as the former French colony only joined world governing body Fifa in 2005.

Nonetheless, their triumph now has their coach dreaming of another major upset — reaching a first World Cup finals — which could become easier when the tournament expands to 48 teams from 2026 onwards.

«I believe it's possible that this team can have a World Cup qualification,» added Marseille-born Amir Abdou, who has coached the team since 2014.

A nation of less than one million inhabitants spread across an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, the Comoros had to wait until 2016 for their first qualifying win, at the 20th attempt, when beating Botswana in a Nations Cup tie.

On Tuesday night in the northern Cameroonian city of Garoua, a team nicknamed after a rare fish — the Coelacanthes — found near the islands' coastline claimed their