Hearts of Oak defender, Raddy Ovouka has earned a call-up to the Congo national team for the final batch of qualifiers to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) slated for Cameroon next year.
The Red Devils are scheduled to complete the qualification process this month against Senegal at home in the penulitmate qualifier in Group I and Guinea Bissau away on March 26 and 30 respectively.
And local man Barthélémy Ngatsono – who replaced Brazilian Valdo Filho for the upcoming games – has included the in-form Phobians’ left-back in his list of 31 players for the assignments.
Ovouka, over the weekend, capped an impressive first round of the 2020/21 Ghana Premier League with a goal and two assists for Hearts who thrashed WAFA SC 4-0 in Accra.
Invited players:
CONGO VS SÉNÉGAL ET GUINÉE-BISSAU VS CONGO, NGATSONO ÉTABLIT UNE PRÉSÉLECTION DE 31 JOUEURS
Pour sa Grande Première après le Départ du Brésilien Qu'il Secondait, Barthelemy Ngatsono qui Avait Été Préféré et Choisi pour Terminer la Campagne des Éliminatoires de la (CAN). pic.twitter.com/ZmaLFcpLvn
— Congo football (@Congofootball1) March 10, 2021
Congo are well placed to qualify for next year’s Cup of Nations finals, sitting second in Group I with seven points from their first four matches. They are five less than already-qualified Senegal but four more than Guinea Bissau, who are in third place. The top two teams in the group qualify.
Congo were last at the Afcon in 2015 where they reached the quarterfinals but have failed to qualify for the last two editions.