Sadio Mane was Senegal’s hero once more as he scored a late goal to earn the Lions of Teranga a narrow 1-0 win against Rwanda in their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Tuesday.
The match was played at the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade in Dakar with Rwanda designated as the “home” side as they do not have an international-standard stadium.
Mane converted a penalty eight minutes into added time in the second half to give the defending AFCON champions a second win in two games. It was Mane’s fourth goal in qualifying so far after he netted a hat-trick in the opening game against Benin.
Senegal leads Group L with six points while Rwanda is second, level on one point with Mozambique who will play Benin later.
In Group B, Dango Ouattara scored twice as Burkina Faso avoided a shock result by coming from a goal down to beat Eswatini 3-1 in Johannesburg.
Sabelo Ndzinisa gave Eswatini a shock lead in the 64th minute but Ouattara leveled five minutes later before he turned the game around with his second with 15 minutes of normal time left.
Eswatini were reduced to 10 men in the 84th minute when Lindo Mkhonta received a second yellow card and Burkina Faso took advantage to seal victory with Stephane Aziz Ki scoring their third goal a minute later.
Burkina Faso, who finished fourth at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, leads the group with six points, three more than second-placed Cape Verde who defeated Togo 2-0. Eswatini and Togo are third and fourth, respectively, each with one point.
Former champions Zambia also recovered from a goal down to defeat Comoros 2-1 in Lusaka. Kings Kangwa scored an 88th-minute winner after compatriot Enock Mwepu had earlier canceled out Ben El Fardou’s opener.
Zambia’s win means there is a three-way tie at the top of Group H. However, AFCON 2023 hosts Côte d’Ivoire, who are competing to gain competitive match practice, top the standings ahead of Zambia and Comoros due to a superior goal difference.
Only one team from Zambia, Comoros and Lesotho, who are bottom and yet to play Côte d’Ivoire, will advance from the group.
In Group F, Niger held Uganda to a 1-1 draw in Entebbe a result that leaves the West Africans unbeaten and second behind Algeria on two points while Uganda is bottom with one point.
(Story compiled with assistance from wire reports)