AFCON 2027 (Q): Senegal held, Nigeria wins, Morocco and Algeria impressive
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All original articlesMost of the matches on the first day of the CAN 2027 qualifiers were played this Friday. Senegal was held by Mozambique, Nigeria narrowly defeated Madagascar, and Morocco and Algeria were dominant.
Mozambique holds Senegal to a draw
In Maputo, Patrick Vieira had his debut on the Senegal bench. The former Togolese international did not start with a win. The Lions were held (1-1) by the Mozambique Mamba.
Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring in the 32nd minute for Senegal. But, in added time at the end of the first half, the Lions were surprised by a goal from Geny Catamo. The score remained unchanged until the final whistle.
Nigeria narrowly defeats Madagascar
Nigeria almost got caught at home. Madagascar put up a strong resistance against the Super Eagles. The Barea opened the scoring through Ehsan Kari in the 16th minute. That conceded goal woke up the Nigerian team. George Ilenikhena, in his first cap, scored his first goal. He equalized in added time at the end of the first half before the winning goal by Moses Usor in the 65th minute.
Morocco gets the better of Gabon
Morocco, a 2026 World Cup quarter-finalist, lived up to expectations against Gabon. At home, the Atlas Lions got the better (2-0) of the Panthers. Noussair Mazraoui (36th), Soufiane Rahimi (84th) enabled the Moroccan squad to collect all three opening points in group A.
Algeria beats Zambia in their opener
Despite uncertainty after an average 2026 World Cup, Algeria lived up to their status against Zambia. In front of their home fans, the Fennecs won 3-1 thanks to goals from Jaouen Hadjam (2nd), Ibrahim Maza (67th) and Anis Hadj Moussa (74th). The Algerian squad occupies first place in group I.
All the results from Friday's matchday
Tanzania 0 – 2 Guinea-Bissau (group L)
Mozambique 1 – 1 Senegal (group J)
Sudan 1 – 0 Ethiopia (group J)
Niger 2 – 1 Lesotho (group A)
Malawi 2 – 1 South Sudan (group B)
Gambia 2 – 1 Somalia (group C)
Togo 1 – 0 Burundi (group I)
Rwanda 3 – 1 Liberia (group K)
Nigeria 2– 1 Madagascar (group L)
Morocco 2–0 Gabon (group A)
Egypt 0–0 Angola (group B)
Burkina Faso 1–1 Benin (group F)
Algeria 3–1 Zambia (group I)
Mali 3–1 Cape Verde (group K)