Naby Keita’s Guinea qualify for 2022 AFCON

Following a 1-0 win over Mali in their penultimate Group A match, Naby Keita has helped Guinea qualify for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations.

Didier Six’s team was captained by the Liverpool midfielder, and he was on display the whole time as Seydouba Soumah’s 75th-minute goal separated the two teams at the Stade du 28 Septembre on Wednesday.

Guinea qualified for the African Cup of Nations for the 13th time with an undefeated record after five games, but they are currently in second place with 11 points from five games.

If the Syli Nationale beat Namibia in their final group match on March 28, they have a chance to finish the qualifying series as Group A champions.

Mali is in first place with 13 points from six games after a 3-0 win over Chad, which was disqualified.

Keita joins Senegal’s Sadio Mane as the second Liverpool player that would feature in next year’s Afcon tournament that will hold in Cameroon between January and February 2022.

Last November, Mane scored the winning goal that made the Teranga Lions the first country to qualify for the continental showpiece after a 1-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau.

While Guinea will be aiming to end the qualifiers on a winning note, they will be without key player Keita as the 26-year-old is expected back on the Merseyside this weekend.

“We negotiated with Liverpool, which is one of the biggest clubs in the world, to have Naby Keita for the first game,” Six said.

“After that, we put him on the plane immediately and he will be available for the (Premier League) restart after seven days in isolation, during which time he can train.

“I made a proposal to the clubs so that we could be as strong as possible for the first match. It takes diplomacy, there’s no point in yelling.”