JOHANNESBURG: Sadio Mane scored for Senegal as they began their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 home win over Togo as Africa finally kicked off the group phase of their preliminary competition on Wednesday after three coronavirus-induced postponements.

Egypt, Libya and Mali were also winners in their respective group games while Mane’s Liverpool team-mate Naby Keita created a goal as Guinea drew 1-1 away draw at Guinea Bissau.

Mane netted the opening goal for Senegal in their Group ‘H’ clash in Dakar through a close-range shot after a tidy combination of passes in the 56th minute followed by a volley nine minutes from time from Paris St Germain defender Abdou Diallo, making his competitive debut for Senegal after switching his allegiance from France, for whom he played at under-21 level.

Senegal are seeking to reach successive World Cup tournaments for the first time after their last attempt to do so came unstuck when they lost out to shock 2006 qualifiers Togo.

Boasting a formidable ‘spine’ of Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, PSG midfielder Idrissa Gueye and Mane, Senegal ensured Togo would not embarrass them again.

Namibia and Congo Brazzaville are the other contenders for one place in the final qualifying round from Group ‘H’.

Namibia, along with Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mali and Niger, have to play at neutral venues because their stadiums were declared unfit for international matches by the Confederation of African Football.

Keita captained Guinea away in Bissau where Francois Kamano put the visitors ahead after seven minutes before Joseph Mendes equalised for the hosts a minute into the second half of the Group ‘I’ tie in neutral Nouakchott.

Guinea, expected to pose the biggest threat to group favourites Morocco, will be disappointed that they failed to take full advantage of Bissau having to move a home fixture to Mauritania.

Unlike Mane and Keita, who played as their countries are not on the United Kingdom Covid-19 travel ‘red list’, star Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah could not turn out for Egypt against Angola in Cairo.

Two-time African Footballer of the Year Salah faced 10 days’ quarantine on his return from red-listed Egypt, potentially missing four matches, had he travelled.

In his absence, record seven-time African champions Egypt, who went to the last World Cup in Russia in 2018, won 1-0 in Group ‘F’ with Mohamed ‘Afsha’ Magdy converting a fifth-minute penalty kick.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was given a boost as he captained Gabon to a 2-1 loss in Libya despite being yellow-carded, as Sanad al Ouarfali snatched an 89th-minute winner.

Aubameyang, who also skippers Arsenal, suffered the humiliation of being substituted in a 5-0 English Premier League rout at Manchester City last Saturday.

Victory for Libya, who levelled through Ali Salama before half-time after Andre Poko put Gabon ahead, took them to the top of Group ‘F’, ahead of Egypt on goals scored.

Southampton midfielder Moussa Djenepo helped Mali edge Rwanda 1-0 in Moroccan coastal city Agadir with Adama Traore the first-half match-winner.

The qualifiers began earlier on Wednesday in Cameroon where the Central African Republic hosted their Group ‘C’ qualifier against the Cape Verde Islands.

Cape Verde went ahead through Julio Tavares in the driving rain but a mistake by their goalkeeper Vozinha allowed Tresor Toropite to equalise in the 53rd minute.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2021