Gabon’s Aubameyang gets four goals and red card as Senegal, Ivory Coast win

Gabon prima Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored 4 goals and was sent disconnected successful African 2026 World Cup qualifying connected Friday, portion Senegal and Ivory Coast some moved person to 4th appearances astatine the planetary showpiece.

Africa Cup of Nations holders Ivory Coast triumphed 7-0 distant to the Seychelles, having won the archetypal lucifer betwixt them 9-0 successful Abidjan 2 years ago.

Seven antithetic players scored, starting with Nottingham Forest midfielder Ibrahim Sangare connected 7 minutes and finishing with substitute Franck Kessie successful the last infinitesimal of regular time.

Seychelles, who are 159 places beneath Ivory Coast successful the satellite rankings, person conceded 46 goals portion losing each 9 qualifiers.

Gabon remained 1 constituent down the Ivory Coast successful Group F with a melodramatic 4-3 triumph implicit the Gambia successful Nairobi.

The Gabonese led twice, past trailed earlier Marseille striker Aubameyang scored 2 much goals. He was yellow-carded doubly successful the closing stages, starring to his dismissal connected 86 minutes.

Ivory Coast person 23 points and Gabon 22 up of the last circular adjacent week, erstwhile some teams volition bask location advantage. The Ivorians play Kenya and the Gabonese look Burundi.

Senegal maintained a two-point pb implicit the Democratic Republic of Congo successful Group B aft the contenders had contrasting distant victories.

Seeking a 3rd consecutive quality astatine the World Cup, Senegal hammered South Sudan 5-0 successful Juba, wherever Crystal Palace striker Ismaila Sarr netted twice.

Veteran two-time African Footballer of the Year Sadio Mane was besides among the goals arsenic Senegal turned a 1-0 half-time pb into a decisive victory.

A solitary goal, scored by seasoned striker Cedric Bakambu aft 7 minutes, earned DR Congo a tense 1-0 triumph successful Togo.

Senegal person 21 points and DR Congo 19 up of their last fixtures. The Senegalese big Mauritania portion the Congolese volition beryllium astatine location to Sudan.

Sudan drew 0-0 with Mauritania successful Dar es Salaam, a effect that eliminated them from the contention for a World Cup place.

Later connected Friday, a gripping conflict for supremacy successful Group C continues with leaders Benin, South Africa, Nigeria, Rwanda and Lesotho each successful contention for archetypal spot and qualification.

The 9 radical winners automatically suffice for the 2026 World Cup, which the United States, Canada and Mexico volition co-host.

The 4 best-ranked runners-up spell into African play-offs which could pb to the continent having a 10th typical astatine the expanded 48-team tournament.

AFP

The station Gabon’s Aubameyang gets 4 goals and reddish paper arsenic Senegal, Ivory Coast win appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.