The road to the 2019 Cameroon African Cup of Nations kicked-off in earnest this week with three first leg preliminaries being staged.
Six lowest ranked teams according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) were in action. They include South Sudan, Madagascar, Sao Tome and Principe, Comoros, Djibouti and Mauritious.
Three aggregate winners after return matches will join the other 45 higher seeded nations in the groups’ phase of the qualifiers starting June 2017.
Djibouti 2-0 South Sudan
South Sudan were off to a disappointing start – falling 2-0 Djibouti at El Hadj Hassan Gouled Aptidon Stadium, Djibouti City on Wednesday.
Hamza Abdi Idelh broke the deadlock after a barren first half with a 56th minute strike before Breik Salam doubled the lead in the 65th minute.
The Bright Stars will now need to dig deeper to overturn the score-line in the reverse tie on March 28th in Juba, to book a spot in group C with Mali, Gabon and Burundi.
Comoros 2-0 Mauritious
Comoros were equally emphatic against their fellow Islanders Mauritius – thumping them 2-0 at Stade de Moroni, Moroni.
Fans thronged the capital to celebrate the sweet win. After a dull first stanza, Bendjaloud Youssouf brought the tie to life with the opener in the 69th minute.
Alhadhur Chaker stretched the lead in the 74th minute to secure the massive advantage ahead of the second leg on March 28th at Stade Anjalay, Belle Vue Maurel.
The aggregate winner slots in group B where Cameroon, Morocco and Malawi await.
Sao Tome and Principe 1-0 Madagascar
Sao Tome and Principe edged Madagascar by Jordao Diago’s own goal in the 68th minute at Estadio Nacional 12 de Julho on Wednesday.
The Portuguese-born midfielder, who currently plays for Greece Super League side Kerkyra, turned the ball into his own net to hand the Falcons the slender advantage.
The second leg takes place at Stade Municipal de Mahamasina, Antananarivo tomorrow with the overall winner joining Senegal, Equatorial Guinea and Sudan in group A.
