AFCON Qualifiers Round 1 Team of the Week: Namaso Leads the 3–4–3
Deduction Football Intelligence
Intelligence Dept.
The first round of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers produced standout performances from across the continent, with 11 different countries represented in Deduction’s Team of the Week.
At the head of the rankings is Cameroon’s Danny Namaso, whose 9.1 match rating is the highest in the XI.
Mali’s Dorgeles Nene follows with 9.0, while DR Congo defender Chancel Mbemba and Zimbabwe midfielder Marshall Munetsi both earned impressive 8.9 ratings.
Deduction’s Round 1 selection lines up in a 3–4–3 formation.
Selection basis: Deduction’s Team of the Week features the highest-rated players selected for each position from AFCON Qualifiers Round 1, based on individual statistical match ratings.
🌍 Deduction AFCON Qualifiers Round 1 XI
Formation: 3–4–3
⚡ Attack
Left Forward — 🇲🇱 Dorgeles Nene — Mali — 9.0
Centre Forward — 🇨🇲 Danny Namaso — Cameroon — 9.1
Right Forward — 🇩🇿 Ibrahim Maza — Algeria — 8.7
⚙️ Midfield
Left Midfield — 🇷🇼 Leroy-Jacques Mickels — Rwanda — 8.7
Central Midfield — 🇱🇾 M. A. Hbeishi — Libya — 8.7
Central Midfield — 🇿🇼 Marshall Munetsi — Zimbabwe — 8.9
Right Midfield — 🇧🇼 T. Orebonye — Botswana — 8.7
🛡️ Defence
Left Centre-Back — 🇲🇦 Nayef Aguerd — Morocco — 8.5
Centre-Back — 🇹🇳 A. Arous — Tunisia — 8.2
Right Centre-Back — 🇨🇩 Chancel Mbemba — DR Congo — 8.9
🧤 Goalkeeper
🇧🇫 Hervé Koffi — Burkina Faso — 7.7
The 3–4–3
AFCON Qualifiers Round 1 Team of the Week: Namaso Leads the 3–4–3
AFCON Qualifiers Round 1 Team of the Week
The first round of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers produced standout performances from across the continent, with 11 different countries represented in Deduction’s Team of the Week.
At the head of the rankings is Cameroon’s Danny Namaso, whose 9.1 match rating is the highest in the XI.
Mali’s Dorgeles Nene follows with 9.0, while DR Congo defender Chancel Mbemba and Zimbabwe midfielder Marshall Munetsi both earned impressive 8.9 ratings.
Deduction’s Round 1 selection lines up in a 3–4–3 formation.
Selection basis: Deduction’s Team of the Week features the highest-rated players selected for each position from AFCON Qualifiers Round 1, based on individual statistical match ratings.
🌍 Deduction AFCON Qualifiers Round 1 XI
Formation: 3–4–3
⚡ Attack
Left Forward — 🇲🇱 Dorgeles Nene — Mali — 9.0
Centre Forward — 🇨🇲 Danny Namaso — Cameroon — 9.1
Right Forward — 🇩🇿 Ibrahim Maza — Algeria — 8.7
⚙️ Midfield
Left Midfield — 🇷🇼 Leroy-Jacques Mickels — Rwanda — 8.7
Central Midfield — 🇱🇾 M. A. Hbeishi — Libya — 8.7
Central Midfield — 🇿🇼 Marshall Munetsi — Zimbabwe — 8.9
Right Midfield — 🇧🇼 T. Orebonye — Botswana — 8.7
🛡️ Defence
Left Centre-Back — 🇲🇦 Nayef Aguerd — Morocco — 8.5
Centre-Back — 🇹🇳 A. Arous — Tunisia — 8.2
Right Centre-Back — 🇨🇩 Chancel Mbemba — DR Congo — 8.9
🧤 Goalkeeper
🇧🇫 Hervé Koffi — Burkina Faso — 7.7
The 3–4–3
🇲🇱 NENE 9.0 🇨🇲 NAMASO 9.1 ⭐ 🇩🇿 MAZA 8.7 🇷🇼 MICKELS 8.7 🇱🇾 HBEISHI 8.7 🇿🇼 MUNETSI 8.9 🇧🇼 OREBONYE 8.7 🇲🇦 AGUERD 8.5 🇹🇳 AROUS 8.2 🇨🇩 MBEMBA 8.9 🇧🇫 KOFFI 7.7
⭐ Namaso Leads Round 1
🇨🇲 Danny Namaso — Cameroon — 9.1
Namaso sits at the top of Deduction’s Round 1 ratings.
His 9.1 makes him the highest-rated player in the selected XI and puts him narrowly ahead of Nene.
That earns the Cameroon international the central attacking position in the 3–4–3 and Deduction’s Player of the Round recognition.
🇲🇱 Nene Joins the 9.0 Club
Mali’s Dorgeles Nene is only 0.1 behind Namaso.
Match Rating: 9.0
Nene takes the left side of the front three and is the only other player in the XI to reach a rating of 9.0 or higher.
Together, Nene and Namaso give the Round 1 attack two of the highest-rated performances of the qualifying round.
On the right, Algeria’s Ibrahim Maza completes the front three with an 8.7 rating.
⚙️ Munetsi Leads the Midfield
Zimbabwe’s Marshall Munetsi recorded an outstanding:
8.9
That makes him the highest-rated midfielder in Deduction’s XI.
He is joined centrally by Libya’s M. A. Hbeishi (8.7).
Rwanda’s Leroy-Jacques Mickels (8.7) occupies the left midfield position, while Botswana’s T. Orebonye (8.7) takes the right.
Remarkably, three of the four midfielders recorded exactly 8.7, with Munetsi’s 8.9 separating him from the group.
🛡️ Mbemba Commands the Defence
DR Congo’s Chancel Mbemba leads the defensive ratings with:
8.9
That puts the experienced defender level with Munetsi and behind only Namaso and Nene across the entire XI.
Mbemba takes the right side of the back three.
Morocco’s Nayef Aguerd (8.5) operates from the left, with Tunisia’s A. Arous (8.2) completing the defensive unit centrally.
Burkina Faso goalkeeper Hervé Koffi (7.7) completes the XI.
🌍 11 Players, 11 African Nations
One of the most striking aspects of Deduction’s Round 1 XI is its geographical spread.
Every player represents a different country:
North Africa: 🇩🇿 Algeria • 🇱🇾 Libya • 🇲🇦 Morocco • 🇹🇳 Tunisia
West Africa: 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso • 🇲🇱 Mali
Central Africa: 🇨🇲 Cameroon • 🇨🇩 DR Congo
East Africa: 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Southern Africa: 🇧🇼 Botswana • 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
11 players. 11 countries. One continental XI.
The geographical spread makes the Team of the Week a useful snapshot of the depth of performance across African international football.
🏆 Deduction Player of the Round
🇨🇲 Danny Namaso — Cameroon
⭐ 9.1
Namaso takes the honour after recording the highest statistical match rating among the 11 players selected.
Top Four
🥇 🇨🇲 Danny Namaso — 9.1
🥈 🇲🇱 Dorgeles Nene — 9.0
🥉 🇨🇩 Chancel Mbemba — 8.9
🥉 🇿🇼 Marshall Munetsi — 8.9
⭐ Namaso 🇨🇲 — 9.1
🔥 Nene 🇲🇱 — 9.0
🛡️ Mbemba 🇨🇩 — 8.9
⚙️ Munetsi 🇿🇼 — 8.9
FORMATION: 3–4–3
🇲🇱 Nene — 🇨🇲 Namaso — 🇩🇿 Maza
🇷🇼 Mickels — 🇱🇾 Hbeishi — 🇿🇼 Munetsi — 🇧🇼 Orebonye
🇲🇦 Aguerd — 🇹🇳 Arous — 🇨🇩 Mbemba
🇧🇫 Koffi
⭐ Namaso Leads Round 1
🇨🇲 Danny Namaso — Cameroon — 9.1
Namaso sits at the top of Deduction’s Round 1 ratings.
His 9.1 makes him the highest-rated player in the selected XI and puts him narrowly ahead of Nene.
That earns the Cameroon international the central attacking position in the 3–4–3 and Deduction’s Player of the Round recognition.
🇲🇱 Nene Joins the 9.0 Club
Mali’s Dorgeles Nene is only 0.1 behind Namaso.
Match Rating: 9.0
Nene takes the left side of the front three and is the only other player in the XI to reach a rating of 9.0 or higher.
Together, Nene and Namaso give the Round 1 attack two of the highest-rated performances of the qualifying round.
On the right, Algeria’s Ibrahim Maza completes the front three with an 8.7 rating.
⚙️ Munetsi Leads the Midfield
Zimbabwe’s Marshall Munetsi recorded an outstanding:
8.9
That makes him the highest-rated midfielder in Deduction’s XI.
He is joined centrally by Libya’s M. A. Hbeishi (8.7).
Rwanda’s Leroy-Jacques Mickels (8.7) occupies the left midfield position, while Botswana’s T. Orebonye (8.7) takes the right.
Remarkably, three of the four midfielders recorded exactly 8.7, with Munetsi’s 8.9 separating him from the group.
🛡️ Mbemba Commands the Defence
DR Congo’s Chancel Mbemba leads the defensive ratings with:
8.9
That puts the experienced defender level with Munetsi and behind only Namaso and Nene across the entire XI.
Mbemba takes the right side of the back three.
Morocco’s Nayef Aguerd (8.5) operates from the left, with Tunisia’s A. Arous (8.2) completing the defensive unit centrally.
Burkina Faso goalkeeper Hervé Koffi (7.7) completes the XI.
📊 Round 1 Rating Board
🌍 11 Players, 11 African Nations
One of the most striking aspects of Deduction’s Round 1 XI is its geographical spread.
Every player represents a different country:
North Africa: 🇩🇿 Algeria • 🇱🇾 Libya • 🇲🇦 Morocco • 🇹🇳 Tunisia
West Africa: 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso • 🇲🇱 Mali
Central Africa: 🇨🇲 Cameroon • 🇨🇩 DR Congo
East Africa: 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Southern Africa: 🇧🇼 Botswana • 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
11 players. 11 countries. One continental XI.
The geographical spread makes the Team of the Week a useful snapshot of the depth of performance across African international football.
11 PLAYERS • 11 NATIONS • 1 XI
🏆 Deduction Player of the Round
🇨🇲 Danny Namaso — Cameroon
⭐ 9.1
Namaso takes the honour after recording the highest statistical match rating among the 11 players selected.
Top Four
🥇 🇨🇲 Danny Namaso — 9.1
🥈 🇲🇱 Dorgeles Nene — 9.0
🥉 🇨🇩 Chancel Mbemba — 8.9
🥉 🇿🇼 Marshall Munetsi — 8.9
