A Thomas Partey brace inspired the Black Stars to an important 3-0 victory over Madagascar in Matchday 6 of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Monday evening.
Ghana wasted no time in finding the opener through Partey, who found the first goal in the 11th minute before extending the lead for the Black Stars in the 58th minute, with Madagascar still trying to find themselves in the second half.
The match was put beyond reach just minutes after the second goal when dangerman, Mohamed Kudus made it three to the good in the 58th minute to seal the Black Stars’ fifth win and widen the gap between them and Madagascar to five points.
The emphatic win sees Ghana well on course for a place in the FIFA World Cup with just four matches remaining and leading Group I ahead of Madagascar who will be disappointed with the result.
Haller’s strike seals crucial win for Ivory Coast against Gambia
Meanwhile, reigning African champions Cote d’Ivoire laboured to a hard-fought 1-0 win over The Gambia in a simultaneous fixture.
Sébastien Haller’s 15th minute strike was all that was required for the Elephants who did well to keep their shape and discipline to keep the visitors at bay and secure a victory and an important three points.
The victory sees the African champions a point ahead of Gabon who had temporarily occupied the summit of Group F following their 2-1away win over Kenya on Monday.
Tunisia emerge victorious over stubborn Malawi
Tunisia left it late but secured a crucial 2-0 win over a stubborn Malawi side to tighten their grip at the top of Group H in the 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers, while Ethiopia revived their campaign in emphatic fashion with a stunning 6-1 rout of Djibouti in Group A.
Seifeddine Jaziri came off the bench to break Malawi’s resistance with a headed goal in the 86th minute, before Elias Achouri sealed the victory with a stoppage-time penalty.
The Carthage Eagles were frustrated for much of the match by a well-drilled Malawi defence and needed late interventions to secure all three points.
Jaziri, introduced in the 78th minute by Tunisia head coach Sami Trabelsi, took just eight minutes to justify his selection, connecting with a cross to beat goalkeeper William Thole, who had been outstanding throughout the contest.
Achouri’s penalty in the 92nd minute put the result beyond doubt after Malawi, desperate to rescue a point, conceded a foul in the box.
There was still late drama as Malawi were awarded a penalty deep into added time, but Aymen Dahmen guessed correctly to deny Richard Mbulu from the spot.
The result sees Tunisia move to 13 points from five matches, four ahead of second-placed Namibia who were held to a 1-1 draw by Equatorial Guinea earlier in the day.
Ethiopia explode into life in Group A
In Group A, Ethiopia served up one of the most dominant performances of the qualifiers so far, thrashing Djibouti 6-1 to register their first win of the campaign in spectacular style.
Hat-tricks from Bereka Desta and Abubeker Nassir lit up the Stade Ben M’Hamed El Abdi in El Jadida, Morocco, as the Walya Antelopes turned on the style against a hapless Djibouti defence.
Desta opened the scoring in the 19th minute and added further strikes in the 52nd and 70th minutes.
Nassir wasn’t to be outdone, netting in the 34th, 37th, and 58th minutes to complete a devastating display of attacking football.
Djibouti, now with just a single point from six games, had a brief moment of hope when Samuel Akinbinu pulled a goal back in the 51st minute.
But that proved to be mere consolation as Ethiopia ran riot to climb to fourth place in the group standings, although they remain seven points behind leaders Egypt, who have a game in hand.
It was a statement win from Mesay Teferi’s side, who had struggled in earlier fixtures but will now hope to carry the momentum into the final stretch of qualifying.
With two matchdays remaining, both Tunisia and Ethiopia have given their fans renewed hope – the former eyeing a return to the World Cup, and the latter showing they may yet have a say in Group A’s final outcome.
Stallions keep hope alive with win over Guinea-Bissau, Central Africa Republic hold Mali
Burkina Faso’s FIFA World Cup qualification hopes were kept alive on Monday evening, following their marginal 2-1 win over Guinea-Bissau in Bissau.
Coming off of a convincing 4-1 victory over Djibouti in Match Day 5, the Stallions continued from where they left off with a hard-fought away victory to Guinea-Bissau to keep pressure on Group A leaders, Egypt who now lead the group with just two points with a game in hand.
Lassina Traoré’s brace which came as a result of an early strike in the 6th minute as well as a second half goal was enough to cancel out Zidane Banjaqui’s 36th minute goal to give the Stallions the much-needed victory.
Meanwhile in Paynesville, Liberia overcame Sao Tomé and Principe 2-1 in a Group H match that saw them impressively move up to third position.
Nicholas Andrews’ early strike coupled with Jimmy Farkalun’s 32nd minute goal handed the hosts a victory that sees them raise their hand as group contenders with just three points separating them from group leaders, Tunisia.
In Group I, Mali lost out on an opportunity to gain ground and reduce the gap between them and table toppers, Ghana after they were held to a goalless stalemate in match played in Casablanca Cameroon.
The draw sees Mali remain in third position behind Ghana and second-placed Madagascar, while Central Africa Republic are fifth behind Comoros.
All results
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Group D
13:00: Eswatini 3-3 Mauritius
Group F
13:00: Kenya 1-2 Gabon
Monday, March 24, 2025
Group H
12:00: Namibia 1-1 Equatorial Guinea
Group I
16:00: Central African Republic 0-0 Mali
Group A
16:00: Guinea-Bissau 1-2 Burkina Faso
Group H
16:00: Liberia 2-1 Sao Tome and Principe
Group F
19:00: Cote d’Ivoire 1-0 Gambia
Group I
19:00: Madagascar 0-3 Ghana
Group A
21:00: Ethiopia 6-1 Djibouti
Group H
21:00: Tunisia 2-0 Malawi
SOURCE: CAF Online
