Afcon 2023: Sao Tome, Gambia, Eswatini, South Sudan claim preliminary wins

The Gambia reached the quarter-finals of Afcon 2021 in their debut appearance at the tournament

The Gambia, Eswatini, Sao Tome and South Sudan all claimed a first leg advantage as qualification for next year's Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast began with a series of preliminary ties among the continent's lowest ranked sides.

On Thursday Sao Tome e Principe claimed a narrow 1-0 win over Mauritius thanks to a 36th minute goal from Bolivia-based Luis Leal dos Anjos.

The 34-year-old had the chance to extend the lead for his side but missed a penalty on the hour mark.

Both legs of the tie are being played in Mauritius as Sao Tome do not have a stadium that can host international matches. Thursday's match was allocated as the home leg for Sao Tome.

On Wednesday The Gambia, looking to build on their impressive run to the quarter-finals at this year's Nations Cup in Cameroon, beat Chad 1-0 thanks to a first international goal for Steve Trawally.

The game, played at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in the Cameroonian capital Yaounde, was technically a home match for Chad, who have been barred from hosting games due to inadequate facilities.

The return leg will be played in Morocco because The Gambia have received a similar ban.

Somalia's home leg against Eswatini was also played overseas, in Tanzania. Goals from Bonginkosi Dlamini, Fanelo Mamba and Gamedze Sandile gave Eswatini a sizeable 3-0 advantage over the Ocean Stars heading into the return.

There were also plenty of goals in the match between South Sudan and Djibouti.

Played in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, due to a lack of suitable facilities in Djibouti, it was South Sudan who claimed a 4-2 victory - with all six goals coming in the second half.

Elsewhere, there was a goalless draw between Seychelles and Lesotho while Sao Tome and Principe face Mauritius on Thursday.

Botswana have already progressed to the next round of qualifying after Eritrea withdrew.

The return legs will be played between 27 and 29 March.

Preliminary round results:

• Eritrea v Botswana (cancelled after Eritrea withdrew)

• Djibouti 2-4 South Sudan

• Seychelles 0-0 Lesotho

• Somalia 0-3 Eswatini

• Chad 0-1 The Gambia

• Sao Tome 1-0 Mauritius