DR Congo and Ivory Coast secure wins in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) achieved a 2-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea in the opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers on Thursday. Captain Chancel Mbemba scored the first goal in the fourth minute, followed by Yoane Wissa's goal 18 minutes before the end of the match, held in Kinshasa. DR Congo's performance could have been more dominant, as they hit the woodwork twice and had two goals disallowed for offside. This match marked their first game following their advancement in the World Cup, where they reached the knockout stage for the first time. However, the attendance at Stade des Martyrs was limited to 20,000 due to sanctions imposed after fan violence during the previous World Cup qualification. In other matches, Mauritania defeated the Central African Republic 3-1 in Casablanca, Morocco, while Namibia edged Congo with a 1-0 win. Libya drew 2-2 with Botswana, with a late penalty securing the draw. In another notable match, Ivory Coast won 2-0 against Ghana in Bouake, with Malick Yalcouye scoring from outside the box and Franck Kessie converting a penalty. Ghana struggled throughout the match, failing to register a shot on target until the 75th minute and conceding 61% possession to Ivory Coast. Cameroon also won their match against Comoros with a score of 3-1, while Tunisia and Uganda ended their match in a 1-1 draw.