Senegal secured a 2-0 victory over Togo at the Lat Dior Stadium in Thies on Wednesday, in Group H’s opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Sadio Mane and Abdou Diallo scored the two goals for the Teranga Lions as they started their campaign for a ticket to Qatar on a high note.
The Senegalese had a bright start to the match and asked the first questions from the Sparrow Hawks.
Fifteen minutes into the game, Papa Matar Sarr should have done better with a pass off Gana Gueye, but his control let him down with good space in front of him.
Mane and Boulaye Dia were also threatening for the Senegalese, but they could not find the back of the net, as the two teams went to the break tied at 0-0.
Senegal came back with all claws on and they got into the lead in the 56th minute.
Mane, the 2019 CAF African Player of the year, played a quick interchange of passes with Dia before controlling the ball with his left and firing home on his right.
The Senegalese kept their command on the game but they had to wait till the 80th minute to seal the game.
Diallo hit the back of the net with a sumptuous shot on his national team debut.
The Senegalese, finalists at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) held on for the win to earn an advantage from match day one.
Namibia and Congo will play in the other group match on Thursday.
Meanwhile, at Nouakchott’s Olympic Stadium in Mauritania, Guinea Bissau and Guinea played to a 1-1 draw in an entertaining Group I fixture.
Guinea Bissau’s Djurtus have been forced to play their home matches in Mauritania.
This is because their home turf, the Estadio Nacional 24 de Setembro, is yet to pass the necessary approvals to host international matches.
In Nouakchott, Guinea Bissau found themselves trailing after seven minutes when Francois Kamano broke the deadlock for the Syli Nationale.
But Guinea Bissau gave a fight and just a minute into the second half got back into contention with the equaliser, coming off Joseph Mendes.
Morocco and Sudan, will play the group’s other match on Thursday.
......Central Africa Republic, Cape Verde draw in Douala
Central African Republic (CAR) and Cape Verde played to a 1-1 draw in Douala, Cameroon on Wednesday in their first match of the qualifiers to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Central Africans, who were hosting the game in Douala due to the non-approval of the Bangui Stadium, found a tough encounter in their Group C opener.
They faced a well-organised team in Cape Verde, especially in the middle of the pack.
Their visitors played in an organised and dangerous manner and were rewarded after 36 minutes when Julio Tavares broke the deadlock with a neat finish off a Rocha Santos pass.
This was the fourth goal for Tavares in a Blue Shark jersey.
The islanders were rewarded for a more positive start as they dominated play and looked the most dangerous all through the opening minutes.
Tavares came close on two occasions, but was not lucky enough to add his second of the afternoon.
In the second half however, CAR were more adventurous and they got back on level terms just seven minutes after the restart.
That was when Tresor Toropite found the back of the net with a close range finish.
The 27-year-old forward boxed himself in a forest of defenders before scoring the equaliser, taking his side back into the game.
The CAR side pushed hard in the remaining minutes to try and steal a victory off the face of defeat, but were not lucky enough to get a second goal and seal the game.
They will be away to Liberia in the second round of matches on Monday while Cape Verde host Nigeria on Tuesday.
.........Mali beat Rwanda, as Kenya and Uganda renew rivalry
The Eagles of Mali started their Group E campaign in the 2022 FIFA World Qualifiers with a 1-0 win over Rwanda at Grand Stade d’Agadir in Morocco on Wednesday evening.
They dominated the game which was moved to Morocco as Mali lacked approval of a home stadium.
Mohamed Magassouba’s men dominated the game and created the most dangerous chances from the start.
The Eagles had an early chance to take the lead when Moussa Djenepo was fouled inside the Rwandan area after 18 minutes.
From the penalty kick spot, Djenepo tried to score himself, but was stopped by Rwanda goalkeeper Emery Mvuyekure.
Mali however took the lead a couple of minutes later, when Adama Traore put the Eagles ahead after 20 minutes.
Rwanda Amavubi tried to find the equaliser, but were stopped by Mali’s defenceline and goalkeeper Ibrahim Mounkoro.
After the break, Mali were still the side with more chances, but both teams failed to score as the Eagles bagged their first points of the campaign.
Kenya take on Uganda in the other Group E game in Nairobi on Thursday in what is expected to be a hotly-contested derby.
Matches between the two sides have often than not been explosive and it will be no different when they start the journey towards Qatar 2022 at the Nyayo National Stadium.
Uganda’s head coach Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic will be making his first competitive appearance on the dugout since returning for his second stint as the Cranes head coach.
The coach is confident that in spite of handling a team on transition, he has enough in the gas to pocket three points away from home.
“We respect Kenya as a team and as a nation but we are here to fight and ensure we get a good result. This will be a match that will test the character of my players and there is a lot at stake.
“It will be more difficult because you are playing against a team and players that know you and you know them,” Micho said.
He added: “We are playing a very good and competitive team and they have an advantage because most of their players have been active in leagues while ours has been on recess.
“It will be a match that will be decided on small details and I hope that the small details go our way.”
The last time ”Micho” played against the Harambee Stars was in October in a friendly match while with Zambia, with the game ending 2-1 in favour of the Harambee Stars.
The Serbian tactician hopes that his return to Nairobi will be a happier one this time around.
Meanwhile, Harambee Stars coach Jacob “Ghost” Mulee is a man who knows Micho and Uganda inside out.
He has worked for a long time as a pundit and FIFA Instructor over the 10 years he was out of coaching.
“I know Micho very well because he has been in the continent for long. He has a very good CV as a coach and definitely it will be tough against him.
“But this is football and it is the 90 minutes on the pitch that will decide,” Mulee said.
He added: “Uganda have a very good team and this being a derby, they will definitely want to carry the bragging rights. As a team we have prepared well and everyone is looking forward to giving a good account of themselves.”
The last three meetings between the two sides have ended in draws, all coming off friendly matches.
The other competitive meetings between the two sides have come off at the CECAFA Senior Challenge.
But the biggest was in October 2011 when Kenya held the Ugandans to a 0-0 draw in Kampala, denying them a chance of progressing to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Both sides will be keen to pick a positive result on Thursday as Kenya are headed to Rwanda for their second match against hosts Amavubi while Uganda are home against Mali.