Last Updated: November 16, 2023, 03:00 IST
CAPE TOWN: Yoane Wissa netted the opening objective to set the Democratic Republic of Congo up for a 2-0 house win over Mauritania on the opening day of African 2026 World Cup qualifying on Wednesday.
Equatorial Guinea additionally gained because the two-year lengthy qualifying course of obtained beneath means however Zimbabwe’s return to the competitors led to a draw at lowly-ranked Rwanda.
Substitute Theo Bongonda, a former Belgian Under-21 worldwide, performed the ball by way of for Wissa to chip the goalkeeper and put the Congolese forward within the 63rd minute of their Group B recreation in Kinshasa.
Bongonda broke away and sprinted greater than half the size of the sphere earlier than rounding the goalkeeper for the second objective within the 81st minute
DR Congo, then referred to as Zaire, certified for the 1974 World Cup however haven’t performed within the match since and Senegal are their probably hardest opponents within the six-team group.
Earlier on Wednesday, striker Emilio Nsue, 34, scored the primary objective of the qualifying marketing campaign on the continent as he fired house from shut vary to earn Equatorial Guinea a 1-0 house win over Namibia in Malabo.
The former Middlesbrough and Birmingham City ahead took benefit of poor defending to offer the small former Spanish colony a profitable begin in Group H.
Zimbabwe, not allowed to compete within the final World Cup qualifiers as a result of they owed cash to a former coach and have simply returned from a separate FIFA ban, had alternatives to win in Rwanda however have been held to a goalless Group C attract Butare.
Because they don’t have a stadium appropriate for worldwide competitors, Zimbabwe’s squad now keep on in Rwanda and host Nigeria on the identical venue on Sunday of their subsequent qualifier.
The Group A conflict between Ethiopia and Sierra Leone in El Jadida, Morocco was goalless at halftime when it was halted as heavy mist made it not possible for play to proceed.
There are 9 African qualifying teams with the winners advancing to the 2026 finals in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. The 4 greatest runners-up get an additional likelihood to qualify by way of a two-tier playoff system.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Reuters)
