Matchday 6 of the FIFA World Cup African qualifiers delivered pivotal results across the continent, with Algeria, Ghana, Morocco and Egypt consolidating their leads, while Group C and Group B saw late twists that could define qualification hopes.
South Africa took command in Group C, DR Congo leapfrogged rivals in Group B, and Ghana pulled clear in Group I with another dominant win.
There was also heartbreak for Nigeria and Tunisia left it late once again.
Here is the complete breakdown by group:
Group A: Egypt edge tight encounter as Ethiopia hit six
Results:
Egypt 1-0 Sierra Leone Burkina Faso 2-1 Guinea-Bissau Ethiopia 6-1 Djibouti
Zizo’s 45th-minute strike helped Egypt maintain top spot with a narrow win over Sierra Leone in Cairo. Burkina Faso kept up the chase with a hard-fought 2-1 win away to Guinea-Bissau, while Ethiopia produced a shock performance of the round with a 6-1 demolition of Djibouti.
Standings:
Egypt – 16 pts Burkina Faso – 11 pts Sierra Leone – 8 pts Ethiopia – 6 pts Guinea-Bissau – 6 pts Djibouti – 1 pt
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Egypt vs Ethiopia Guinea-Bissau vs Sierra Leone Djibouti vs Burkina Faso
Group B: DR Congo go top, Senegal and Sudan tied
Results:
DR Congo 2-0 Mauritania Senegal 2-0 Togo Sudan 1-1 South Sudan
DR Congo returned to the summit with a composed 2-0 win over Mauritania. Senegal matched them on points after seeing off Togo, while Sudan’s draw with South Sudan dropped them into third place.
Standings:
DR Congo – 13 pts Senegal – 12 pts Sudan – 12 pts Togo – 3 pts South Sudan – 3 pts Mauritania – 2 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Senegal vs Sudan South Sudan vs DR Congo Somalia vs Guinea
Group C: South Africa step ahead as Nigeria slip again
Results:
Benin 0-2 South Africa Nigeria 1-1 Zimbabwe Rwanda 1-1 Lesotho
Bafana Bafana strengthened their grip on Group C with a composed 2-0 away win in Benin. Nigeria’s hopes were dented by a late equaliser from Zimbabwe, while Rwanda and Lesotho cancelled each other out.
Standings:
South Africa – 13 pts Rwanda – 8 pts Benin – 8 pts Nigeria – 7 pts Lesotho – 6 pts Zimbabwe – 4 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Benin vs Zimbabwe Lesotho vs South Africa Malawi vs Nigeria
Group D: Cape Verde edge Angola as Cameroon stay close
Results:
Cape Verde 2-1 Angola Cameroon 3-1 Libya Mauritius 3-3 Eswatini
Cape Verde snatched a crucial win over Angola, while Cameroon thrashed Libya to stay a point off the top. Mauritius and Eswatini served up a six-goal thriller but shared the spoils.
Standings:
Cape Verde – 13 pts Cameroon – 12 pts Libya – 8 pts Angola – 7 pts Mauritius – 5 pts Eswatini – 2 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Angola vs Libya Cameroon vs Eswatini Mauritius vs Cape Verde
Group E: Morocco flawless, Atlas Lions pull clear
Results:
Morocco kept their perfect record intact with a 2-0 win over Tanzania to make it five wins from five and stay top of Group E.
Standings:
Morocco – 15 pts (5 games) Niger – 6 pts (4 games) Tanzania – 6 pts (5 games) Zambia – 3 pts (4 games) Congo – 0 pts (3 games) Eritrea – 0 pts (0 games)
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Group F: Cote d’Ivoire reclaim top, Burundi explode
Results:
Cote d’Ivoire 1-0 Gambia Burundi 5-0 Seychelles Kenya 1-2 Gabon
Gabon stayed hot on the heels of Cote d’Ivoire after an impressive 2-1 win over Kenya. Burundi produced a five-star show against Seychelles to rise to third.
Standings:
Cote d’Ivoire – 16 pts Gabon – 15 pts Burundi – 10 pts Kenya – 6 pts Gambia – 4 pts Seychelles – 0 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Cote d’Ivoire vs Burundi Kenya vs Gambia Seychelles vs Gabon
Group G: Amoura hat-trick lifts Algeria, Uganda bounce back
Results:
Algeria 5-1 Mozambique Uganda 1-0 Guinea Botswana 2-0 Somalia
Algeria produced a commanding performance to dispatch Mozambique with Amoura netting a hat-trick. Uganda edged Guinea while Botswana swept Somalia aside.
Standings:
Algeria – 15 pts Mozambique – 12 pts Botswana – 9 pts Uganda – 9 pts Guinea – 7 pts Somalia – 1 pt
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Algeria vs Botswana Uganda vs Mozambique Somalia vs Guinea
Group H: Tunisia leave it late, Namibia stall
Results:
Tunisia 2-0 Malawi Namibia 1-1 Equatorial Guinea Liberia 2-1 Sao Tome and Principe
Late goals from Jaziri and Achouri earned Tunisia a win over Malawi. Namibia were held by Equatorial Guinea while Liberia edged Sao Tome.
Standings:
Tunisia – 16 pts Namibia – 12 pts Liberia – 10 pts Equatorial Guinea – 7 pts Malawi – 6 pts Sao Tome and Principe – 0 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Tunisia vs Liberia Namibia vs Malawi Sao Tome and Principe vs Equatorial Guinea
Group I: Ghana dominate, Madagascar make gains
Results:
Ghana 3-0 Madagascar Mali 0-0 Central Africa Republic Comoros 1-1 Chad
Ghana pulled away at the top with a commanding 3-0 win over Madagascar. Mali were held by CAR while Comoros dropped points against winless Chad.
Standings:
Ghana – 15 pts Comoros – 12 pts Madagascar – 10 pts Mali – 9 pts Central Africa – 5 pts Chad – 0 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
Chad vs Ghana Madagascar vs Central Africa Republic Mali vs Comoros
Top Scorers (after Matchday 6)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt) – 6 goals Jordan Ayew (Ghana) – 5 goals Mohamed Amoura (Algeria) – 5 goals Lassina Traoré (Burkina Faso) – 5 goals Trezeguet (Egypt) – 5 goals Denis Bouanga (Gabon) – 5 goals Kamory Doumbia (Mali) – 5 goals
