Senegal and Cameroon have moved to within one victory of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations after favourable results in their groups on Friday, without having to play.

Both sides won their third qualifying matches on Thursday, with Cameroon beating Namibia 2-0 in Douala and Senegal recording a 4-1 victory over Sudan in Dakar. Those results took both teams to seven points at the halfway stage of their respective qualifying campaigns.

The gap at the top then widened after Friday’s fixtures.

In Senegal’s Group J, Ethiopia produced a late upset by defeating Mozambique 1-0 away from home. Markneh scored the only goal in the 87th minute, leaving Mozambique on four points after they had been in a position to draw level with Senegal.

Ethiopia moved on to three points with their first victory of the qualifiers.

Senegal now lead Mozambique by three points, while Ethiopia and Sudan are four points behind Patrick Vieira’s side. The champions of Africa in 2022 can secure their place at the next tournament during the next round of matches.

To do so, Senegal must beat Sudan in Juba, South Sudan, while Mozambique must also win away to Ethiopia.

Cameroon were helped by a goalless draw between Comoros and Congo on Friday. The match was played at Malouzini, with Comoros unable to turn their late pressure into a winning goal.

Idris Mohamed struck the crossbar in the closing stages as the Cœlacanthes were denied a victory that would have given them greater control of the group.

The result leaves Cameroon in a position to qualify on Monday. They must beat Namibia again, this time in Botswana, and Comoros must avoid defeat against Congo in Brazzaville.

Cameroon’s win over Namibia on Thursday had already placed the Indomitable Lions on seven points. The stalemate between their rivals means another victory could be enough to take them through, provided the required result is also delivered in the Comoros-Congo meeting.