Africa World Cup qualifiers roundup: Benin go top with win over Tanzania; Tunisia cruise; Kenya sunk in Morocco

  Benin went to the top of Group J following a 1-0 victory over Tanzania in their third match of the World Cup Qualifiers. It was a game of few chances, and the first half ended in a goalless, however, Benin were the better side. In the second half, the deadlock was broken thanks to Steve Mounie's wonderful finish. Benin had the ball on the left side of the pitch before Mounie was released but the captain was somehow marked. He managed to unleash a strike with his left foot, and the ball flew past Aisha Manula who could not keep it out. Mbwana Samatta came close to leveling the scores for the hosts in the 85th minute but his effort was cleared for a throw-in. Minutes later, substitute Abdul Suleiman piled lots of pressure on hosts with his effort being saved by Benin goalkeeper. In the other match, Congo registered a 2-0 victory over visiting Madagascar. Chadrac Akolo opened the scoring in the first half in one of the tightest matches. In the 78th minute, Dieumerci Mbokani made it 2-0 for the hosts giving them a breathing space. Elsewhere, Ibrahima Kone put in a man-of-the-match performance as he scored a first-half hattrick and laid one assist in Mali's 5-0 demolition of Kenya in a World Cup qualifying match in Morocco on Thursday night. Les Aigles's win sees them soar to the top of their group on seven points and remain the only unbeaten side. Kenya, in the meantime, dropped to third with two points and now must win the return tie in Nairobi to have any hopes of a chance in the next round. In Kigali meanwhile, Uganda picked their first win in Group E after beating hosts Rwanda 1-0. Meanwhile, in Rades, Tunisia put in a strong performance to easily dispatch Mauritania 3-0 and maintain their 100 percent record in Group B. Ellyes Skhiri, Wahbi Khazri, and Seifeddine Jaziri were all on target for the Carthage Eagles as they kept their hunt for a place in Qatar 2022 alive.