Cameroon’s Stalemate with Eswatini Following Travel Woes; Madagascar and Tunisia Secure Victories

On Wednesday, both Madagascar and Tunisia achieved away victories during the commencement of two rounds of African group matches in World Cup qualifying. In contrast, Cameroon found themselves held to a draw by Eswatini, following inadequate travel arrangements that meant they arrived just hours before the match began.

The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, who hold the record for most World Cup appearances by an African nation, were unable to find the net against the small southern African nation, securing Eswatini’s first point of the campaign.

This performance from Cameroon, which featured top players like Andre Onana and Bryan Mbeumo from the Premier League, was lacklustre. This wasn’t overly surprising given their late arrival, landing at their hotel in Nelspruit, South Africa, only 15 hours prior to kick-off.

Initially, they were scheduled to fly directly from Cameroon to Nelspruit, where Eswatini played host due to their own stadiums being deemed unfit for international matches by the Confederation of African Football.

However, due to a delayed charter flight, they were unable to arrive at Nelspruit airport before it closed for the night.

Instead, they landed in Johannesburg and spent three hours waiting before embarking on a five-hour bus journey to Nelspruit.

Following the draw, Cameroon sits on nine points at the midway point of the qualifying process, topping Group D but with only a two-point lead over Libya and Cape Verde, both of whom have home fixtures against Angola and Mauritius scheduled for Thursday.

Tunisia, meanwhile, expanded their lead in Group H to five points as Hazem Mastouri, the league’s leading scorer, netted in the fourth minute to secure a 1-0 victory against Liberia in Monrovia.

This match marked a victorious return for Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi, who is back for a second stint in charge.

Madagascar’s new manager, former French international Corentin Martins, also enjoyed a successful debut, leading the team to a commanding 4-1 win over the Central African Republic, who hosted the match in Casablanca.

Although Central African Republic defender Hugo Gambor found the back of the net in the ninth minute, Madagascar rallied to secure a confident victory, which included two goals from Rayan Raveloson.

Madagascar currently leads Group I with 10 points, one ahead of both the Comoros and Ghana. The Comoros will face Mali on Thursday, while Ghana will host Chad on Friday.

There are an additional nine African zone qualifiers set for Thursday.

The champions of each of the nine groups will secure a place at next year’s World Cup in North America, while the four best runners-up will enter a playoff competition for one more spot.

Keep up with the African World Cup qualifiers here.