Cameroon held by Eswatini after travel woes

Eswatini picked up their first point in the qualifying rounds of the Fifa World Cup on Wednesday, holding Cameroon to a goalless draw in Mbombela as two rounds of African group matches kicked off.

Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions, who have been to more World Cup finals than any other African country, arrived less than a day before the match as a result of poor travel arrangements. 

It was a listless performance from a strong Cameroon side that included Premier League players Andre Onana (Manchester United) and Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford), but not surprising as they had arrived at their hotel about 15 hours before kickoff.

They had planned to fly from Cameroon to Mbombela, where Eswatini hosted the match because the Confederation of African Football has ruled their stadiums aren’t up to international standard.

However, the Cameroonians’ chartered flighted left late and they were unable to land at Mbombela airport which had closed for the night.

They instead disembarked in Johannesburg, and had to wait three hours before making a five-hour bus journey to Mbombela.

The draw leaves Cameroon on nine points at the halfway stage of the qualifying campaign and head Group D, but they are only two points above Libya and the Cape Verde Islands who have home games against Angola and Mauritius on Thursday.

Tunisia stretched their lead in Group H to five points after their league’s top scorer Hazem Mastouri scored in the fourth minute to secure a 1-0 away win over Liberia in Monrovia.

It was a winning start for Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi, back for a second stint in charge of the team.

Madagascar’s new coach, former French international Corentin Martins, got his tenure off to a superb start as they won 4-1 against the Central African Republic, who were hosting the match in Casablanca.

Central African Republic defender Hugo Gambor scored in the ninth minute but Madagascar bounced back to seal a comfortable win, including two goals from Rayan Raveloson.

Madagascar lead Group I with 10 points, one ahead of the Comoros and Ghana. Comoros play on Thursday against Mali and Ghana host Chad on Friday.

There are nine more African zone qualifiers scheduled for Thursday.

The winners of each of the nine groups qualify for the World Cup in North America next year, and the four best group runners-up go into a playoff competition, chasing one extra berth.

Reuters