Lassina Traoré scored a brace that helped the Stallions of Burkina Faso secure back-to-back World Cup qualifying victories, defeating Guinea-Bissau 2-1 at the Estádio Nacional 24 de Setembro on Monday.
Burkina Faso was determined to overcome their opponents after their previous matchday five victory, which saw them thrash Djibouti 4-1. They knew that a win would help them close the gap on leaders Egypt in Group A.
An early goal from Lassina Traoré in the 6th minute was equalized by a long-range shot from Zidane Banjaqui in the 36th minute, bringing the score to 1-1 at halftime.
In the second half, after absorbing pressure from the hosts, Burkina Faso capitalized on a defensive mistake, and Traoré restored their lead in the 73rd minute, completing his brace.
The visitors held on to win for the second consecutive time, narrowing the gap two points behind Egypt, who will face Sierra Leone in Cairo on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Namibia and Equatorial Guinea played to a 1-1 draw in Johannesburg on Matchday 6 of the African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Namibia, coming off a narrow win over Malawi, aimed to keep pace with Group H leaders Tunisia. Equatorial Guinea, fresh from a 2-0 victory against São Tomé and Príncipe, struggled to find quality finishing in the first half, which ended goalless.
In the second half, Namibia took the lead in the 51st minute with a goal from Peter Shalulile, assisted by Deon Hotto’s free kick. Equatorial Guinea equalized just three minutes later with Saúl Coco’s goal from Esteban Orozco’s pass.
Both teams pushed for a winner, but the match ended in a draw. Namibia is second in Group H with 12 points, behind Tunisia, while Equatorial Guinea is fourth with seven points, needing to win their remaining matches to stay in contention.
