Mauritania

Match report

Mauritania secured a 3:1 victory over Central African Republic in the opening Group Stage match of AFCON qualification on 24 September 2026. The hosts took control after a penalty in the forty-second minute and never looked back, despite a late goal from Mamadou Diallo to give the visitors a semblance of hope.

Aboubakary Koita converted the spot-kick after Nouh Mohamed El Abd was booked and then substituted, and here's the thing — the visitors paid for a sloppy opening. Goduine Koyalipou doubled the advantage just six minutes later, and by then CAR had already lost Julien Kouadio to a red card in the seventy-fourth minute.

Dawda Camara Sankharé added a third to put the result beyond doubt before Diallo's late consolation. The academy graduate marked his first start with a goal, and the hosts pressed high up the pitch for much of the afternoon. CAR were backs against the walls after the dismissal, throwing everything at it but finding little to work with.

Mauritania dominated possession at 59 per cent and registered eight shots on target compared to four for the visitors. They completed 361 passes out of 451 attempts, while CAR managed 222 from 304. The hosts recorded 117 attacks against 92, and their accuracy was a clear difference.

The victory ends a run of mixed results for Mauritania, who have not won since their 2:0 triumph over Kuwait in November. Central African Republic's recent form is no better — they have lost three of their last five matches, including a heavy 0:5 defeat to Ghana.

Prepared from match data

Key numbers

Possession, % 59 – 41

Shots on target 8 – 4

Shots off target 6 – 6

Attacks 117 – 92

🟨 4' M. Yapéndé — Yellow card 🟨 29' Edwin Quarshie — Yellow card 🟨 31' Dominique Youfeigane — Yellow card ⚽ 32' Aboubakary Koita — Penalty 🟨 42' Nouh Mohamed El Abd — Yellow card ⇄ 45' Nouh Mohamed El Abd — Substitution ⚽ 48' Goduine Koyalipou — Goal 🟨 60' Julien Kouadio — Yellow card ⇄ 63' Edwin Quarshie — Substitution ⇄ 64' Badara Diomandé — Substitution ⇄ 66' Idrissa Thiam — Substitution ⇄ 66' Aly Abeid — Substitution ⚽ 69' Dawda Camara Sankharé — Goal 🟥 74' Julien Kouadio — Red card ⇄ 77' Goduine Koyalipou — Substitution ⇄ 77' Moustapha Djimet — Substitution ⇄ 83' Dawda Camara Sankharé — Substitution ⇄ 83' Djeidi Gassama — Substitution ⇄ 83' Salomon Sambia — Substitution ⚽ 89' Mamadou Diallo — Goal

Match events

4' 0:0 Central African Republic Yellow card M. Yapéndé
29' 0:0 Central African Republic Yellow card Edwin Quarshie
31' 0:0 Central African Republic Yellow card Dominique Youfeigane
32' 1:0 Mauritania Penalty Aboubakary Koita
42' 1:0 Mauritania Yellow card Nouh Mohamed El Abd
45' 1:0 Mauritania Substitution Nouh Mohamed El Abd off: Ibrahima Keita
48' 1:1 Central African Republic Goal Goduine Koyalipou assist: Vénuste Baboula
60' 1:1 Central African Republic Yellow card Julien Kouadio
63' 1:1 Central African Republic Substitution Edwin Quarshie off: James Emmanuel Okeke
64' 1:1 Central African Republic Substitution Badara Diomandé off: Isaac Solet Bomawoko
66' 1:1 Mauritania Substitution Idrissa Thiam off: Ahmed M'Bracek
66' 1:1 Mauritania Substitution Aly Abeid off: Khadim Diaw
69' 2:1 Mauritania Goal Dawda Camara Sankharé assist: Oumar Ngom
74' 2:1 Central African Republic Red card Julien Kouadio
77' 2:1 Central African Republic Substitution Goduine Koyalipou off: Delphin Mokonou
77' 2:1 Central African Republic Substitution Moustapha Djimet off: F. Yangao
83' 2:1 Mauritania Substitution Dawda Camara Sankharé off: Mamadou Diallo
83' 2:1 Mauritania Substitution Djeidi Gassama off: Abdallahi Mahmoud
83' 2:1 Central African Republic Substitution Salomon Sambia off: Séverin Tatolna
89' 3:1 Mauritania Goal Mamadou Diallo assist: Abdallahi Mahmoud

Statistics

59 Possession, % 41

8 Shots on target 4

6 Shots off target 6

117 Attacks 92

3 Corners 4

10 Fouls 21

20 Free kicks 16

6 Offsides 2

1 Yellow cards 5

0 Red cards 1

9 Goal kicks 10

36 Throw-ins 18

All statistics

2 Blocked shots 0

90 Failed passes 82

4 Goalkeeper saves 5

0.50 Shot accuracy 0.40

9 Shots from outside the box 7

10 Shots inside the box 8

451 Total passes 304

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