CAPE TOWN: Madagascar qualified for their first ever African Nations Cup finals after beating Equatorial Guinea 1-0 at home on Tuesday and were later joined by Egypt, Senegal and Tunisia in the 24-team field for next year’s expanded finals. With two nations qualifying from 11 of the 12 four-team groups, Madagascar were always going to have a good chance to make the breakthrough, at their 17th attempt, after starting their Group A campaign with an away win in Sudan last year. Yet successive 1-0 wins home and away against Equatorial Guinea in the last five days took them over the line with Njiva Rakotoharimalala scoring the only goal of Tuesday’s match in Antananarivo. Published in Daily Times, October 18th 2018.