Ghana kick-start Afcon 2027 bid despite Ayew penalty miss
Ghana kick-start their Afcon 2027 qualifying campaign despite Jordan Ayew having a penalty saved, while Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Senegal register wins.
Nicolas Jackson set Senegal on their way to a 4-1 home win over Sudan in Group J, with Aston Villa team-mate Ibrahim Mbaye also on the scoresheet for Patrick Vieira's men in Dakar.
The Teranga Lions lead the standings on seven points, three ahead of Mozambique, who host Ethiopia on Friday.
Cameroon also remained unbeaten and moved on to seven points in Group G with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Namibia in Douala.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa opened the scoring as DR Congo continued their perfect start with a 3-1 triumph over Sierra Leone in Kinshasa.
The Leopards are on nine points at the top of Group E, five points ahead of Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea after those two sides drew 0-0.
Nigeria were handed a boost after Group L leaders Guinea-Bissau could only manage a 1-1 draw in their away tie against Madagascar in neutral Morocco.
The Super Eagles trail Guinea-Bissau by four points ahead of their home game against Tanzania on Friday (16:00 GMT).
Tanzania are assured of a place at Afcon 2027 as tournament co-hosts, with the other three sides battling for one qualification spot.
And Benin bolstered their bid to reach back-to-back finals with a 4-1 win over Central African Republic.
Gernot Rohr's Cheetahs lead Group F by three points from Burkina Faso, who entertain Mauritania on Friday.
In Group D, another section with just one spot available, Guinea moved level on points with table-toppers South Africa after seeing off Eritrea 2-1 in Conakry.
