Action before the cups

 

Shortly before the continental cups kicked off in Europe, Oceania and the Americas, World Cup qualifiers were played in Africa, Asia and the Caribbeans.

In Africa Mauritania suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Sudan while Ghana scored a last-minute 2-1 winner in Mali and South Sudan earned a 1-1 draw in Togo. Guinea, who had celebrated a 2-1 victory away to Algeria, lost 1-0 to a last-minute Mozambican penalty in Morocco while in South Africa, Lesotho put 2 past Zimbabwe and Rayan Raveloson scored both goals in Madagascar’s 2-1 win over Comoros. Vincent Aboubakar scored twice as Cameroon brushed their visitors from Cape Verde aside 4-1 while Benin upset Nigeria 2-1 in South Africa who were held to a goalless draw by Kenya in Malawi and Djibouti drew 1-1 with Ethiopia in Morocco.  

In Asia Yemen, who had held their Bahraini hosts to a goalless draw, needed a stoppage-time goal to draw 2-2 with Nepal in Saudi Arabia and there were draws in Saudi Arabia where Qatar fired blanks against Afghanistan and in Oman where Kyrgyzstan picked up a 1-1 draw while Syria lost 1-0 to North Korea in Laos.

In the Caribbeans, Trinidad and Tobago could only draw 2-2 at home to Grenada for whom Myles Hippolyte netted twice while El Salvador failed to find the net against their visitor from Puerto Rico and Cayman Islands celebrated a 1-0 win at home to Antigua and Barbuda.