2015 CAN Preliminaries: Strong Performances from Benin, Mozambique, and Malawi
The first leg of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) qualifiers kicked off this weekend, and several teams have laid the groundwork for their progression to the next round with impressive victories.
On Saturday, Benin secured a solid 2-0 win away to São Tomé, while Mozambique triumphed in a dominant 5-0 result against South Sudan. Malawi also enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 victory over Chad, while Mauritania claimed a narrow but important 1-0 win against Equatorial Guinea. Namibia defeated Congo-Brazzaville 1-0, keeping their hopes alive for the return leg.
On Sunday, Liberia edged Lesotho 1-0, Kenya saw off Comoros with a similar scoreline, and Madagascar pulled off a thrilling 2-1 win over Uganda. Tanzania emerged victorious with a 1-0 result against Zimbabwe. However, there were several goalless draws, with Libya and Rwanda, Burundi and Botswana, as well as the Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau all finishing 0-0.
Swaziland and Sierra Leone played to a 1-1 draw, while Mozambique’s commanding 5-0 victory over South Sudan stands as the standout result of the weekend.
Weekend Results:
Saturday, May 17, 2014:
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Malawi 2-0 Chad
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Mauritania 1-0 Equatorial Guinea
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Namibia 1-0 Congo-Brazzaville
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São Tomé 0-2 Benin
Sunday, May 18, 2014:
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Liberia 1-0 Lesotho
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Kenya 1-0 Comoros
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Madagascar 2-1 Uganda
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Libya 0-0 Rwanda
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Burundi 0-0 Botswana
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Central African Republic 0-0 Guinea-Bissau
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Swaziland 1-1 Sierra Leone
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Tanzania 1-0 Zimbabwe
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Mozambique 5-0 South Sudan
The return matches are scheduled to take place in two weeks, and the teams that secured favorable results in the first leg will look to finish the job, while those who are trailing will need strong performances to keep their hopes of qualifying alive.
