The third round of AFCON 2027 qualifying got under way on Thursday, 12 November, with ten matches played across the continent. By the end of a goal-filled evening, several favourites had lived up to their billing, starting with Ivory Coast, who beat The Gambia in the most eagerly awaited fixture of the day.
In Bouaké, the two Group C leaders arrived with perfect records. The Elephants quickly took control. Nicolas Pépé took a free kick quickly to set up Malick Yalcouyé for the opener in the 18th minute, before Elye Wahi, teed up by Yan Diomandé, scored his first ever international goal to double the lead. The Scorpions refused to fold, though, and Musa Barrow revived the contest shortly before the break (38′). Nothing more was scored after the interval. Three wins from three leave the Ivorians on nine points, three clear of Thursday’s opponents, whom they meet again on Tuesday with a chance to book their ticket.
Earlier in the afternoon, Ghana had ended a long drought. Beaten in their first two matches, defeats that led to Carlos Queiroz’s departure, the Black Stars overcame Somalia 2-0 at the Essipong Stadium in Sekondi-Takoradi under interim coach Kim Bjorkegren. The evening could have started badly, as Jordan Ayew missed an early penalty. Back in the squad, Mohammed Kudus made his mark: his corner led to Jonas Adjetey’s opener in first-half stoppage time, and Felix Afena-Gyan sealed the win in the 62nd minute. The four-time African champions climb to third and face the Ocean Stars again on Monday.
In Group E, DR Congo kept up their flawless run. In front of around 18,000 fans at the Stade des Martyrs, Sébastien Desabre’s Leopards stunned Sierra Leone as early as the 4th minute through Yoane Wissa. Samuel Moutoussamy (35′) and Edo Kayembe (58′) added to the tally, with Samuel Bekoe pulling one back only late on (83′). On nine points, the Congolese sit well clear of Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea, who played out a goalless draw and have four points each.
Guinea had to work harder to get past Eritrea (2-1) in Conakry. A header from Mohamed Soumah (13′) and a strike from Yagouba Gnagna Barry (52′) seemed to have put the Syli National out of reach, but Eritrea’s goal in the 82nd minute made for a far tenser finish than expected. Guinea temporarily join South Africa at the top of Group D on six points, ahead of Bafana Bafana’s clash with Kenya on Friday.
Senegal, for their part, took a while to get going. Held at half-time by Sudan in Dakar, the Lions of Teranga stepped up after the break to win comfortably (4-1) and move top of Group J on seven points. Cameroon have the same tally after beating Namibia 2-0, a result that keeps them first in Group G.
Benin also posted one of the most emphatic scores of the night. Up against a Central African Republic side recently placed under Moroccan coach Kerkache, Gernot Rohr’s Cheetahs dominated to win 4-1. The victory takes them to seven points and strengthens their hold on top spot in Group F, ahead of Burkina Faso (4 points) and Mauritania (3 points), who meet on Friday. Still without a point after three games, the Wild Beasts face Benin again on Monday in the return fixture, already with their backs to the wall.
The only blemish among the night’s leaders came in Madagascar, where Guinea-Bissau were held to a 1-1 draw. Nigeria’s conquerors nevertheless stay top of Group L on seven points, four more than the Super Eagles.
Matchday 3 continues on Friday and Saturday, before a series of return fixtures on Monday and Tuesday that could produce the first qualifiers for AFCON 2027.