Senegal's massive comeback crushes DR Congo's heart, Cape Verde stun mighty Cameroon for history!

What a day in the African World Cup qualifiers!

DR Congo had a 2-0 lead against Senegal in the 33rd minute, and, at that point, the Leopards were on the brink of enormous success, as they would have been only one step away from a World Cup ticket.

Still, the Lions of Teranga refused to give up, as the current and former Premier League players turned the tables around and annulled Cedric Bakambu and Yoane Wissa's goals!

Everton's Iliman Ndiaye closed the gap minutes before the break, ex-Chelsea man Nicolas Jackson equalized minutes after it, and Tottenham's Pape Matar Sarr scored a vital winner coming off the bench in the 87th minute, shocking 80,000 people in Kinshasa, some of whom even started riots following the ref's final whistle!

This way, DR Congo lost the top of the group and will have to hope for Senegal's failure in the remaining two rounds to return to the leading position.

On the other hand, Cameroon also needed a win against Cape Verde in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to leapfrog the Blue Sharks, but unlike Senegal, the Indomitable Lions lost!

The moment of truth happened in the 54th minute when Dailon Rocha Livramento scored a winner for Cape Verde, punishing Cameroon's subpar performance, and bringing his team on the verge of its historic maiden World Cup qualification - 1-0!

Despite Senegal's aspirations to come to Kinshasa and hand a decisive blow to DR Congo, the Lions of Teranga were knocked down in seven minutes - between the 26th and 33rd.

From the first shot in the match, the Leopards broke the deadlock thanks to Cedric Bakambu, who made a fantastic "pirouette" and netted, exploiting space left by the visitors' stretched defence!

Seven minutes later, Meschack Elia crossed the ball from the right side inside the area, Edouard Mendy slipped and missed the ball, which Yoane Wissa smashed into the net, doubling DR Congo's lead!

Only after the new Newcastle striker's goal did Senegal manage to wake up and reduce the gap through Everton's Iliman Ndiaye, who made a nice solo effort and found the far bottom corner of the home team's goal.

Minutes before the break, Nicolas Jackson wasted a decent opportunity to level the score, heading the ball narrowly wide of the right post.

Yet, Senegal's attacks continued in the second half as well, and it took them only nine minutes to equalize! The Lions of Teranga organized a nice counter, and the tandem Sadio Mane-Nicolas Jackson exploited the poor reaction of the home team's custodian, as the new Bayern Munich striker scored a vital leveller!

Still, afterwards, 80,000 people at Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa watched a completely different match. The visitors were mainly in control, while the Congolese just fought to defend the draw and keep one point in their pocket.

Nevertheless, 13 minutes before the end, the home crew received a major warning, as Senegal scored, but Mane was offside, so the goal didn't stand.

But the Leopards didn't take the first warning seriously and were severely punished in the 87th minute, when the sub Pape Matar Sarr netted a late winner, for the absolute shock in Kinshasa!

This way, the Lions of Teranga took over the leading position in Group B with two-point edge over DR Congo. Still, the final two rounds will give us the answer which team will qualify for the World Cup directly.

Draw that brings Bafana Bafana on the verge of WC, as Super Eagles will have to 'grind'

Although Marc Brys sent heavy artillery on the pitch, embodied in the XI with Andre Onana and Premier League stars Bryan Mbeumo and Carlos Baleba, Cape Verde were still a better team in the first half. They had more shots, as Cameroon's possession advantage brought little to them.

After all, the Blue Sharks would have been completely pleased with a draw, as they had a one-point edge over the Indomitable Lions ahead of today's clash.

And then, nine minutes into the second 45 minutes, the visitors were handed a harsh blow, as Cape Verde broke the deadlock! Brighton midfielder Baleba lost the ball to Dailon Rocha Livramento, who drove the ball all the way from his own half to Cameroon's penalty area, and powerfully smashed it into the net past Onana, giving the Blue Sharks a critical lead!

Following the home crew's lead, Cameroon desperately tried to level and save what could be saved, but, alas, it was all in vain. The Indomitable Lions fell seriously short, as Cape Verde are now one win away from their first historic qualification for the FIFA World Cup!

2026 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS - AFRICA

Monday

Equatorial Guinea - Tunisia 0-1 (0-0)

/Ben Romdhane 90+5/

Mozambique - Botswana 2-0 (1-0)

/Witi 6, Bangal 71/

Zambia - Morocco 0-2 (0-1)

/En Nesyri 7, Igamane 47/

Guinea - Algeria 0-0

Guinea Bissau - Djibouti 2-0 (0-0)

/Imbene 54, Cande 82/

Madagascar - Chad 3-1 (0-1)

/Caddy 52, Raveloson 69, Abdallah 90+3 - Allarabaye 25/

Malawi - Liberia 2-2 (0-1)

/Mhango 72, Kaonga 80 - Kosiah 3, 62/

Uganda - Somalia 2-0 (2-0)

/Okello 6 pen, Ssemugabi 39/

Ghana - Mali 1-0 (0-0)

/Djiku 49/

Libya - Eswatini 2-0 (2-0)

/Eisay 8, El Mariamy 19/

Tuesday

Kenya - Seychelles 5-0 (4-0)

/Ogam 7, 38, Sichenje 35, Olunga 45+5 pen, 67/

Namibia - Sao Tome 3-0 (1-0)

/Shalulile 41, 66, 71/

Sierra Leone - Ethiopia 2-0 (1-0)

/Kamara Mom. 37, Koroma 90+6/

Tanzania - Niger 0-1 (0-0)

/Sosah 58/

Zimbabwe - Rwanda 0-1 (0-1)

/Mugisha 40/

Burkina Faso - Egypt 0-0

Cape Verde - Cameroon 1-0 (0-0)

/Rocha Livramento 54/

DR Congo - Senegal 2-3 (2-1)

/Bakambu 26, Wissa 33 - Ndiaye I. 39, Jackson 54, Sarr 87/

South Africa - Nigeria 1-1 (1-1)

/Troost-Ekong 25 og - Bassey 44/

Togo - Sudan 1-0 (1-0)

/Fofana 6/

22.00: (1.20) Angola (6.50) Mauritius (16.0)

22.00: (1.60) Benin (3.60) Lesotho (6.75)

22.00: (3.80) Gabon (3.30) Ivory Coast (2.05)

22.00: (1.67) Gambia (3.60) Burundi (5.70)

22.00: (1.35) Mauritania (4.60) South Sudan (10.5)

***odds are subject to change***