Mane stars on century as Senegal trounce South Sudan

• Sadio Mane scored twice and had an assist
• He was celebrating 100 caps for Senegal
• Egypt make it back to back wins in WC qualification

Al Nasr striker Sadio Mane scored a brace as Senegal started off their 2026 World Cup qualification journey with an emphatic result, a 4-0 trouncing of South Sudan at the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade in Diamniadio.

Two goals within the first six minutes set off the Lions of Teranga, who were completely dominant over the Bright Stars of South Sudan.

In his 100th cap for Senegal, Mane was in sublime form. Inside the first minute, he provided the assist for the opener after just 39 seconds, laying the ball for Pape Matar Sarr who struck a brilliant shot from the edge of the box.

He then got onto the scoresheet in the sixth minute, running into the box from a Habib Diallo through ball and beating the keeper.

At the stroke of halftime, Senegal put the game to a safe distance when Lamine Camara hit the roof of the net with a brilliant shot off an Idrissa Gueye assist.

Sadio Mane then put the game to bed in the 57th minute from the penalty spot, competing a great performance from the night.

Egypt see off nine-man Sierra Leone

Elsewhere, Egypt have set off their journey to the 2026 World Cup flying, as they picked their second qualifying phase win with a 2-0 win over nine-man Siera Leone.

A double from Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Ibrahim scored a double for the Pharaohs, who have now moved top of Group A with six points, having thrashed Djibouti 6-0 in the opening fixture last week.

Against Sierra Leone Egypt were totally dominant and would have won by a bigger margin were they more clinical in their finishing.

Sierra Leone finished the game with nine men, Tyrese Fornah sent off in the 39th minute and Abdul Kabia late in added time, both for second yellow cards.

Trezeguet opened the scoring in the 18th minute when he controlled Mostafa Mohamed’s flicked pass before shooting low past the keeper.

He completed his brace in the second half, his shot from a Mohamed Salah pass taking a deflection before skipping over the keeper.

Sierra Leone could not offer much danger, and they sit fifth in the six-team table with just a point off their opening day 0-0 draw with Ethiopia.

Algeria put on second half show to beat Mozambique

In another match, second half goals from Fares Chaibi and Ramiz Zerrouki saw Algeria earn back to back wins in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup as they edged out Mozambique at the Estadio de Zimpeto in Maputo.

The win takes Les Fennecs top of Group G with six points after two matches, and cruise control of the top slot ahead of the next round of qualifiers next year.

A stalemate in a tensely contested first half was the catalyst for the North Africans to double their efforts in the second period.

Chaibi opened the scoring in the 69th minute when he shot into the net from inside the box after Mohamed Amoura’s initial shot had come off the bar. Mozambique had lost the ball in transition and Amoura took on a sprint into the box, before he was denied by the crossbar but Chaibi was well placed to feed off the scraps.

They doubled their tally 10 minutes to time when Zerrouki slammed the ball into the net from the right, after Mozambique once again lost the ball cheaply in a dangerous area.