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| Stephen Keshi: Nigeria's Coach |
Credit: AFP
Nigeria survived a late Rwanda onslaught to force a 0-0 draw at Stade
de Kigali Wednesday in a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations first round
qualifier.
The Super Eagles were playing their first competitive
match under new coach Stephen Keshi and will be favoured to reach the
final elimination round after the mid-June return match.
Keshi had
warned his mix of local and overseas-based stars to expect a battle at
the compact 22,000-capacity ground in the Rwandan capital, and so it
proved with the home team much improved under new Serb coach Milutin
Sredojevic.
There was no joy for Indian Ocean island teams with
Madagascar crashing 4-0 to the Cape Verde Islands and the Seychelles
slumping by the same score against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ryan
da Graca and Eduardo Gomes scored in the first half and Toni Varela
twice in the closing stages as the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde devoured
their opponents in Antananarivo.
Dioko Kaluyituka was the
hat-trick star in Victoria for the Congolese, winners of the Cup of
Nations in 1968 and 1974 but not among the top 30 African teams in the
FIFA rankings this month.
Mabi Mputu was also on target for the
visitors, who are banking on experienced French coach Claude le Roy to
lift them out of the doldrums after missing the last three Cup of
Nations tournaments.
Kenya edged Togo 2-1 in Nairobi with James
Situma putting the home team ahead, Razak Boukari levelling before
half-time and Allan Wanga snatched a winner for the Harambee Stars.
There
was also a late winner in Bujumbura as Burundi defeated new-look
Zimbabwe 2-1 with the decisive goal scored by South Africa-based
defender Valery Nahayo against rivals lacking several regulars involved
in a match-fixing probe.
Tanzania had to fight back for a 1-1 draw
against Mozambiqie in Dar es Salaam with Cleusio Bauque scoring a
superb solo goal for the Mambas (Snakes) and Mwinyi Kazimoto equalising.
A
second-half brace from Leger Djime earned Chad a thrilling 3-2 victory
over Malawi in N'Djamena where Mahamat Labbo was also on target for the
home team and Atusaye Nyondo and Atletico Madrid starlet Robin Ngalanda
hit the Malawi goals.
Ethiopia were held 0-0 in Addis Ababa by
Benin -- a satisfactory result for former France star Manuel Amoros in
his competitve debut as coach of the west African Squirrels.
