Matchday 6 of the FIFA World Cup African qualifiers delivered pivotal results across the continent, with Algeria, Ghana, Morocco and Egypt consolidating their leads, while Group C and Group B saw late twists that could define qualification hopes.
South Africa took command in Group C, DR Congo leapfrogged rivals in Group B, and Ghana pulled clear in Group I with another dominant win.
There was also heartbreak for Nigeria and Tunisia left it late once again.
Here is the complete breakdown by group:
Group A: Egypt edge tight encounter as Ethiopia hit six
Results:
Egypt 1-0 Sierra Leone
Burkina Faso 2-1 Guinea-Bissau
Ethiopia 6-1 Djibouti
Zizo’s 45th-minute strike helped Egypt maintain top spot with a narrow win over Sierra Leone in Cairo. Burkina Faso kept up the chase with a hard-fought 2-1 win away to Guinea-Bissau, while Ethiopia produced a shock performance of the round with a 6-1 demolition of Djibouti.
Standings:
Egypt – 16 pts
Burkina Faso – 11 pts
Sierra Leone – 8 pts
Ethiopia – 6 pts
Guinea-Bissau – 6 pts
Djibouti – 1 pt
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Egypt vs Ethiopia
Guinea-Bissau vs Sierra Leone
Djibouti vs Burkina Faso
Mohamed Salah
Group B: DR Congo go top, Senegal and Sudan tied
Results:
DR Congo 2-0 Mauritania
Senegal 2-0 Togo
Sudan 1-1 South Sudan
DR Congo returned to the summit with a composed 2-0 win over Mauritania. Senegal matched them on points after seeing off Togo, while Sudan’s draw with South Sudan dropped them into third place.
Standings:
DR Congo – 13 pts
Senegal – 12 pts
Sudan – 12 pts
Togo – 3 pts
South Sudan – 3 pts
Mauritania – 2 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Senegal vs Sudan
South Sudan vs DR Congo
Somalia vs Guinea
Group C: South Africa step ahead as Nigeria slip again
Results:
Benin 0-2 South Africa
Nigeria 1-1 Zimbabwe
Rwanda 1-1 Lesotho
Bafana Bafana strengthened their grip on Group C with a composed 2-0 away win in Benin. Nigeria’s hopes were dented by a late equaliser from Zimbabwe, while Rwanda and Lesotho cancelled each other out.
Standings:
South Africa – 13 pts
Rwanda – 8 pts
Benin – 8 pts
Nigeria – 7 pts
Lesotho – 6 pts
Zimbabwe – 4 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Benin vs Zimbabwe
Lesotho vs South Africa
Malawi vs Nigeria
Group D: Cape Verde edge Angola as Cameroon stay close
Results:
Cape Verde 2-1 Angola
Cameroon 3-1 Libya
Mauritius 3-3 Eswatini
Cape Verde snatched a crucial win over Angola, while Cameroon thrashed Libya to stay a point off the top. Mauritius and Eswatini served up a six-goal thriller but shared the spoils.
Standings:
Cape Verde – 13 pts
Cameroon – 12 pts
Libya – 8 pts
Angola – 7 pts
Mauritius – 5 pts
Eswatini – 2 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Angola vs Libya
Cameroon vs Eswatini
Mauritius vs Cape Verde
Group E: Morocco flawless, Atlas Lions pull clear
Results:
Morocco 2-0 Tanzania
Morocco kept their perfect record intact with a 2-0 win over Tanzania to make it five wins from five and stay top of Group E.
Standings:
Morocco – 15 pts (5 games)
Niger – 6 pts (4 games)
Tanzania – 6 pts (5 games)
Zambia – 3 pts (4 games)
Congo – 0 pts (3 games)
Eritrea – 0 pts (0 games)
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Morocco vs Niger
Morocco are in a good position
Group F: Cote d’Ivoire reclaim top, Burundi explode
Results:
Cote d’Ivoire 1-0 Gambia
Burundi 5-0 Seychelles
Kenya 1-2 Gabon
Gabon stayed hot on the heels of Cote d’Ivoire after an impressive 2-1 win over Kenya. Burundi produced a five-star show against Seychelles to rise to third.
Standings:
Cote d’Ivoire – 16 pts
Gabon – 15 pts
Burundi – 10 pts
Kenya – 6 pts
Gambia – 4 pts
Seychelles – 0 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Cote d’Ivoire vs Burundi
Kenya vs Gambia
Seychelles vs Gabon
Group G: Amoura hat-trick lifts Algeria, Uganda bounce back
Results:
Algeria 5-1 Mozambique
Uganda 1-0 Guinea
Botswana 2-0 Somalia
Algeria produced a commanding performance to dispatch Mozambique with Amoura netting a hat-trick. Uganda edged Guinea while Botswana swept Somalia aside.
Standings:
Algeria – 15 pts
Mozambique – 12 pts
Botswana – 9 pts
Uganda – 9 pts
Guinea – 7 pts
Somalia – 1 pt
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Algeria vs Botswana
Uganda vs Mozambique
Somalia vs Guinea
Group H: Tunisia leave it late, Namibia stall
Results:
Tunisia 2-0 Malawi
Namibia 1-1 Equatorial Guinea
Liberia 2-1 Sao Tome and Principe
Late goals from Jaziri and Achouri earned Tunisia a win over Malawi. Namibia were held by Equatorial Guinea while Liberia edged Sao Tome.
Standings:
Tunisia – 16 pts
Namibia – 12 pts
Liberia – 10 pts
Equatorial Guinea – 7 pts
Malawi – 6 pts
Sao Tome and Principe – 0 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Tunisia vs Liberia
Namibia vs Malawi
Sao Tome and Principe vs Equatorial Guinea
Group I: Ghana dominate, Madagascar make gains
Results:
Ghana 3-0 Madagascar
Mali 0-0 Central Africa Republic
Comoros 1-1 Chad
Ghana pulled away at the top with a commanding 3-0 win over Madagascar. Mali were held by CAR while Comoros dropped points against winless Chad.
Standings:
Ghana – 15 pts
Comoros – 12 pts
Madagascar – 10 pts
Mali – 9 pts
Central Africa – 5 pts
Chad – 0 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Chad vs Ghana
Madagascar vs Central Africa Republic
Mali vs Comoros
Amoura celebrates his hat-trick
Top Scorers (after Matchday 6)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt) – 6 goals
Jordan Ayew (Ghana) – 5 goals
Mohamed Amoura (Algeria) – 5 goals
Lassina Traoré (Burkina Faso) – 5 goals
Trezeguet (Egypt) – 5 goals
Denis Bouanga (Gabon) – 5 goals
Kamory Doumbia (Mali) – 5 goals
