SAN FRANCISCO, November 15, (THEWILL) – Benin Republic brightened their chances of qualification for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as they beat Lesotho 1-0 at the Stade Charles de Gaulle on Saturday.
Thabo Senong’s Crocodiles of Lesotho lost 4-2 at home against Nigeria the last time out, so they travelled to Porto-Novo with the singular ambition of reviving their fading AFCON hopes. However, the hosts had their own AFCON ambitions to foster.
Benin’s midfielder Jodel Dossou, who plays for French Ligue 2 Clermont Foot, was the only name on the score sheet as he netted the lone goal in the 24th minute. That was all Michel Dussuyer’s men needed to secure maximum points.
This second successive win for Benin Republic leaves them second in Group L with six points, a point below Gernot Rohr’s Super Eagles and four points above Sierra Leone who are ranked third with two points. Lesotho sit at the base of that group after picking up just one point from three outings.
Benin will now travel to Maseru’s Setsoto Stadium for the return leg on Tuesday, November 17. A victory will see them with a leg in Cameroon regardless of the outcome between Sierra Leone and Nigeria in Freetown.
After their maiden appearance at the 2004 edition staged in Tunisia, Benin have made four appearances at the biennial African football tournament.
In their last appearance at Egypt 2019, they crashed out in the quarter-finals after they lost 1-0 to eventual runners-up Senegal. The Squirrels’ biggest highlight in that outing saw them defeat pre-tournament favourites Morocco on penalties after the score stood at 1-1 after extra time.
