JOHANNESBURG: Surpr­ise packets Sudan survived a battering from star-stacked Senegal to force a 0-0 draw on Saturday, and remain top of African Group ‘B’ in 2026 World Cup qualifying.

Forced to stage home mat­ches in Libyan city Benghazi because of the Sudanese civil war that has raged since April 2023, Sudan have 11 points halfway through the 10-round competition.

Democratic Republic of Congo lie second with 10 points, Senegal have nine, Togo four, and Mauritania and South Sudan two each.

The nine group winners in Africa qualify automatically for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

There could be a 10th qualifier if the winners of an African mini-tournament inv­o­l­ving the four best-ranked runners-up finish among the top two in inter-continental play-offs.

Senegal, seeking a third straight appearance at the gl­­o­bal showpiece, dominat­ed po­­s­session and had 19 goal att­empts, but just four on target.

There was no respite for the Sudanese, who also had to defend 11 corners as Senegal sought maximum points and first place.

On the rare occasions Sudan broke into the Senegal half, they proved more accurate, getting three of seven goal attempts on target, including two near misses.

Captain Ramadan Agab was among three Sudanese yellow-carded in three minutes during the second half, while star Senegal forward Sadio Mane was booked later.

The Sudanese were the happier side at full-time having ta­k­en a point off a team that started with eight players from top European leagues and three from the Saudi Pro League.

Sudan used seven players from their leading clubs, Al Hilal and Al Merrikh.

Three are based in Libya and Abdelrahman Kuku is with an Australian second-tier side.

Fleeing a war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and uprooted more than 12 million people, Hilal and Merrikh relocated to Maur­itania, where they compete in the national league.

Elsewhere, Togo and Maur­itania remained winless in the same group after drawing 2-2 in Lome, where the home team led and trailed before Kevin Denkey equalised on 69 minutes.

Thibault Klidje got the Togolese off to a great start by scoring after just four minutes. Aboubakary Koita levelled on 52 minutes and Abdallahi Mahmoud put Mauritania ahead soon after.

Togo remain fourth, seven points behind Sudan, while Mauritania rose one place to fifth, ahead of South Sudan on goal difference.

Emmanuel Adebayor-insp­ired Togo were shock qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where they lost all three group games. Since then they have not come close to repeating that feat.

It was the first competitive match in charge of Maurit­ania for Spanish coach Aritz Lopez Garai, who was 33 years old when he made his La Liga debut.

He replaced Marseille-born Amir Abdou, who was sacked last November after the country failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2025