DR Congo and Ivory Coast win opening AFCON qualifiers
DR Congo beat Equatorial Guinea 2-0 and Ivory Coast defeated Ghana by the same score in reported opening AFCON qualifying matches.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
DR Congo and Ivory Coast began their reported Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaigns with 2-0 victories, according to Reuters reporting published by Al Jazeera. DR Congo beat Equatorial Guinea in Kinshasa, while Ivory Coast overcame Ghana in Bouake.
For DR Congo, captain Chancel Mbemba headed in after four minutes and Yoane Wissa added the second goal 18 minutes before full time. Reuters reported that the home side also struck the woodwork twice and had two efforts disallowed for offside.
Attendance at Stade des Martyrs was limited to 20,000 under sanctions imposed after fan violence following a World Cup qualifying loss to Senegal a year earlier, the report said.
How did DR Congo and Ivory Coast win their AFCON qualifiers?
Ivory Coast’s win over Ghana came through a first-half goal from Malick Yalcouye, who scored from outside the penalty area, and a Franck Kessie penalty in the second half. Reuters said Ghana did not produce a shot on target until the 75th minute and had 39% possession.
The two results were among the opening-day matches reported in the qualifying campaign. Cameroon beat Comoros 3-1, while Tunisia drew 1-1 with Uganda.
Other reported opening-day results
- Mauritania beat the Central African Republic 3-1 in Casablanca, with Dawda Camara among the scorers.
- Namibia won 1-0 against Congo through a Bethuel Muzeu goal.
- Libya drew 2-2 with Botswana in Tripoli. Botswana’s Tumisang Orebonye scored twice before Maruwan Alhibeeshi pulled one back in the 87th minute and Ezoo El Mariamy converted a stoppage-time penalty.
Reuters described Libya’s match as being played behind closed doors, with the stadium barred because of earlier supporter violence.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.