October 07, (THEWILL) – After a crucial 1-0 win away to Tanzania at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Thursday evening, Benin moved to the top of Group J in the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the Confederation of African Football region.
The Squirrels’ lone goal came in the 72nd minute, giving the West Africans maximum points and sending them to the top of the table with seven points after two victories and a tie in their first three games.
The Tanzanians will be kicking themselves for missed opportunities, particularly one that fell to Saimon Msuva in the first half. In the 22nd minute, the Moroccan attacker got a golden chance when he looped a cheeky header over the goalie off a long pass.
He did, however, take a poor shot at goal, which was blocked by a falling Cedric Hountondji.
Tanzania tried everything they had after going down in pursuit of an equaliser. Substitute Abdul Hamisi Suleiman came near twice late on, the first time his furious shot from the edge of the area went over the bar, and the second time his attempt from the fringe of the area was saved by the keeper two minutes later.
In the other fixture of the Group, DR Congo defeated Madagascar 2-0 at the Stade de Martyrs in Kinshasa, moving to second place in the group with five points thanks to goals from Chadrac Akolo and skipper Dieumerci Mbokani.
While the Congolese have given themselves a huge chance of qualifying, Madagascar’s prospects are now hanging on an impossible balance following a third consecutive defeat.
With a well-placed low shot into the area in the 35th minute, Akolo broke the deadlock. He took the ball from a poorly defended corner, played a one-two with Mbokani, and then shot low to the left.
Before the opener, the Congolese had dominated the game, with Mbokani and Cedric Bakambu coming close. They were even more dominant in the second half and could have been two up after 72 minutes, but Chancel Mbemba’s low attempt in the area hit the post.
Mbokani converted a penalty after Edo Kayembe was clipped inside the box in the 79th minute to extend the lead further.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
