AFCON2023 Qualifiers: Senegal, Mali and Algeria roar to victory
Sadio Mane scored a hat-trick as Senegal overcame Benin 3-1 on Saturday in the first match of their Africa Cup of Nations title defence.
The 30-year-old reigning African Footballer of the Year converted a 12th-minute penalty at the national stadium in Diamniadio near Dakar.
Mane struck again on 23 minutes, bursting into the box and scoring at the second attempt after goalkeeper Saturnin Allagbe blocked his initial shot.
Benin had Sessi D’Almeida sent off early in the second half of the 2023 qualifier and Mane completed his hat-trick on the hour from another penalty before Junior Olaitan reduced arrears.
Next up for Senegal is a trip to Rwanda on Tuesday, and it is hard to imagine any result other than another victory for the Teranga Lions.
Mali cruised to an emphatic 4-0 victory over Congo in their opening 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at the Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako on Saturday.
France-based striker El Bilal Toure grabbed a brace to steer his country to the impressive showing during the Group G match in the capital city.
The Eagles completed the rout of the Red Devils in the first half as they thumped them to surpass Gambia standings in Group G.
The West African hit the ground running with midfielder Mohammed Camara opening the scoring before two strikes by El Bilal Toure and the final goal by Kalifa Coulibaly sealed the win.
Mali new coach Eric Sekou Chelle preferred Sweden based goalkeeper Ismael Diawara to operate between the sticks in only his second international appearance.
Young left-back Amadou Dante was handed his first ever senior debut whilst captain Hamari Traore returned to the team after missing the World Cup playoff in March due to suspension.
The Malien Eagles hit the ground running right after kick-off after getting the opening goal in the 1st minute through midfielder Mohammed Camara with a powerful drive.
Toure doubled the advantage for the home side ten minutes later after being set up by Yves Bissouma before adding another one in the 40th minute with a fine strike.
Kalifa Coulibaly got his name on the scoresheet after heading home a cross from midfielder Yves Bissouma to make it 4-0 before the break.
Congo couldn’t break down Mali’s defence in the second half despite their improved performance as they failed to register a single shot on target throughout the match.
Mali top Group G on goal difference from the Gambia, who edged South Sudan 1-0 through a goal from Ablie Jallow at the end of the opening half.
Algeria, the 2019 African champions started off their campaign with an important 2-0 win at home against Uganda.
The Algerians were dangerous from the onset but struggled to break the Ugandan defense in the opening exchanges.
They were finally rewarded for their strong start in the 28th minute through Aissa Mandi who followed up a rebound after the Ugandan keeper saved a freekick from Youcef Belaïli.
Uganda were given a way back into the match when they were awarded a penalty just before halftime when Rachid Ghazal’s dangerous tackle put down a Ugandan striker.
However, Faruk Miya missed from the spot after goalkeeper Mustapha Zeghba went the right way to keep out the effort.
In the second half, the Algerians continued to play a high line of attack but were unable to add a second with Uganda defending well.
Les Fennecs had to wait until the 80th minute to put the game to safety with a second goal.
The impressive Belaili, dribbled past three players and struck a shot that left no chance for the Ugandan goalkeeper.
Aboubakar Kamara scored a first half brace to help Mauritania beat Sudan 3-0 in their opening Group I match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at the State Olympique in Nouakchott on Saturday.
Abdallahi Mahmoud added a third mate in the second half to give Mauritania a perfect start and new coach Amir Abdou three massive points as he looks for a second consecutive Cup of Nations appearance as coach.
Abdou was appointed to head the Mauritanian national team after his impresssive performance with Comoros last January in Cameroon and the victory on Saturday puts him in a perfect bounce on the road to the 2023 showpiece.
Kamara broke the deadlock in the 27th minute from the penalty spot to give his side the start they yearned for after a good start.
Three minutes later, the burly goal poacher doubled his tally and that of his side finishing off a pass from Mouhamed Soueid.
With a two goal cushion, the home side was confident and played with more control despite Susan’s attempt to get a way back into the contest.
In the second half, the Sudanese Falcons of Jediane returned with fire under their boots but were thwarted by an organized Mauritania.
With 13 minutes left on the clock, Mahmoud wrapped up the massive win to ascertain the three points remained in Nouakchott.
DR Congo succumbed to a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Gabon to begin their journey to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on a shaky note on Saturday.
Debutant Shavy Bebicka scored the only goal for the Panthers to seal the important away victory in Kinshasa.
The Leopards did all they could to at least claim a point against the Panthers but all efforts proved futile as they lost the Group I fixture.
DR Congo gaffer Hector Cuper went into the game with the best players he could assemble but still failed to start on a winning note.
Cuper’s start list against Gabon had Ben Malango Ngita, Jackson Muleka, Chadrack Akolo, Sammy Moutoussamy, Yoan Wissa amongst others .
Bebicka scored the only goal of the match to hand the maximum points to Patrice Neveu’s side who join Mauritania at the top of the group standings.
DR Congo continued with their dominance in the second half and created a lot of scoring opportunities but Jean-Noel Amonome made two fantastic saves to deny the Leopards.
The vital win is Gabon’s first away victory in a competitive since they beat South Sudan 1-0 in Juba in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations on 16 October 2018.
Mauritania now lead the group with three points, ahead of Gabon on goals after the latter beat DR Congo by a slim 1-0 margin.
FULL RESULTS
Group C: Namibia 1-1 Burundi
Group C: Cameroon v Kenya – Cancelled due to Kenya disqualification
Group F: Niger 1-1 Tanzania
Group F: Algeria 2-0 Uganda
Group G: Gambia 1-0 South Sudan
Group G: Mali 4-0 Congo
Group I: Mauritania 3-0 Sudan
Group I: DR Congo 0-1 Gabon
Group L: Senegal 3-1 Benin
