Mauritania take half-time lead against Central African Republic in AFCON 2027 qualifier

Mauritania lead Central African Republic at the break in the opening round of AFCON 2027 qualifying.

The Mourabitounes made the stronger start after an evenly contested opening and were rewarded when Aboubakary Koita broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute.

The goal gave the home side the advantage and reflected Mauritania’s growing control of the match. Central African Republic, known as the Fauves du Bas-Oubangui, had initially matched their opponents but were unable to prevent Mauritania from taking the lead.

This is the fourth meeting between the two teams. Both sides began the campaign under pressure to secure a positive result before facing the other teams in their group, Burkina Faso and Benin.

Mauritania have therefore made the better start to the first matchday, but Central African Republic still have attacking options capable of changing the game in the second half.