Comoros produced a record-breaking performance by defeating Sudan 17-0 in the African qualifiers for the 2028 Los Angeles Women's Olympic Football Tournament. Elsewhere, Mauritius claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Djibouti, leaving their tie finely poised ahead of the second leg.
DJIBOUTI (Somali Report) — The African qualifiers for the Los Angeles 2028 Women's Olympic Football Tournament got underway in dramatic fashion on Friday, with Comoros delivering a historic goal-fest while Mauritius secured a narrow first-leg advantage over Djibouti.
In the standout result of the day, Comoros all but booked their place in the next round after crushing Sudan 17-0 in a one-sided contest.
Comoros produced one of the most dominant displays in recent African women's football qualifying history, overwhelming Sudan from start to finish.
Fatima Saïd Madjiri opened the scoring in the eighth minute before Comoros unleashed a relentless attacking performance that left Sudan with no answer.
Nine different players got on the scoresheet in an impressive demonstration of the squad's depth and attacking quality.
Haloua Ahamada starred with four goals, while Aliya Saïd, Shaima Boina Ali and Faïza Houmadi each netted twice. Neila Dahmani, Samira Ahamada, Bibihawaraïssa Housseni, Assimina Maoulida, Esteline Anduma and Diore Saïd also found the back of the net.
The emphatic victory leaves Comoros firmly in control of the tie and on the verge of progressing to the next stage of the qualification campaign.
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The second fixture offered a much tighter contest, with Mauritius securing a late victory to take a slender advantage into the return leg.
The hosts made a dream start when Eloisha Clair scored inside the opening minute to put Mauritius ahead.
Mauritius controlled much of the match and appeared on course for a comfortable win after extending their lead before halftime.
Djibouti, however, remained in the contest and continued to search for a breakthrough.
Their persistence paid off deep into stoppage time when Julie Gopal scored in the seventh minute of added time to reduce the deficit and give Djibouti renewed hope ahead of the second leg.
While Mauritius will be encouraged by the victory, the late goal means the tie remains wide open, with Djibouti still in contention for a place in the next round of the qualifiers.
About the Author
Mohamed Farah is a senior editor at Somali Report, based in London, covering geopolitics, trade, business, and security across the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.
