DR Congo get African World Cup qualifying off to winning start – Newspaper

JOHANNESBURG: Brent­ford forward Yoane Wissa netted the opening goal to set the Democratic Republic of Congo up for a 2-0 home win over Mauritania on the opening day of African 2026 World Cup qualifying on Wednesday.

Equatorial Guinea also won as the two-year long qualifying process got under way but Zimbabwe’s return to the competition ended in a draw at lowly-ranked Rwanda.

Ethiopia and Sierra Leone drew 0-0 in Group ‘A’ in El Jadida, Morocco, a match that was halted twice for a total of 50 minutes due to fog.

The match was moved from Ethiopia because they do not have an international-standard venue. They are among 19 African countries who must play home qualifiers at neutral venues.

Substitute Theo Bongonda, a former Belgian Under-21 international, played the ball through for Wissa to chip the goalkeeper and put the Congolese ahead in the 63rd minute of their Group B game in Kinshasa.

Bongonda broke away and sprinted more than half the length of the field before rou­nding the goalkeeper for the second goal in the 81st minute DR Congo, then kno­wn as Zaire, qualified for the 1974 World Cup but have not played in the tournament since and Senegal are their potentially toughest opponents in the six-team Group ‘B’.

Goals were scarce on the opening day of a 263-match schedule that stretches to November 2025, with all nine group winners guaranteed qualification.

Former Premier League forward Emilio Nsue, 34, scored the first goal of the qualifying campaign on the continent as he fired home from close range on 67 minutes to earn Equatorial Guinea a 1-0 home win over Namibia in Malabo.

The former Middlesbrough and Birmingham City forward took advantage of poor defending to give the small former Spanish colony a winning start in Group ‘H’.

Zimbabwe, not allowed to compete in the last World Cup qualifiers because they owed money to a former coach and have just returned from a separate FIFA ban, had opportunities to win in Rwa­nda but were held to a goalless Group ‘C’ draw in Butare.

The Zimbabweans came closest to winning the clash with a Prince Dube shot rebounding off the post during the first half.

Because they do not have a stadium suitable for international competition, Zimbabwe’s squad now stay on in Rwanda and host Nigeria at the same venue on Sunday in their next qualifier.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2023