DR Congo, Ivory Coast and Cameroon open AFCON qualifying with wins
DR Congo and Ivory Coast each won 2-0, while Cameroon beat Comoros 3-1. Tunisia drew with Uganda on the opening day.
DR Congo, Ivory Coast and Cameroon began Africa Cup of Nations qualifying with wins on Thursday, as teams opened their campaigns for next year’s tournament.
In Kinshasa, DR Congo beat Equatorial Guinea 2-0. Captain Chancel Mbemba headed in the opener in the fourth minute before Yoane Wissa added a second 18 minutes from time.
Ivory Coast defeated Ghana 2-0 in Bouaké in a Group C match. Malick Yalcouye scored from outside the box in the first half, and Franck Kessie converted a second-half penalty.
Cameroon beat Comoros 3-1, while Tunisia drew 1-1 with Uganda. Elsewhere, Mauritania beat the Central African Republic 3-1, Namibia edged Congo 1-0, and Libya drew 2-2 with Botswana after a stoppage-time penalty.
Al Jazeera Global News reported that DR Congo’s home crowd was capped at 20,000 following sanctions linked to fan violence. Libya’s match against Botswana was played behind closed doors under a stadium ban.
