Liberia advances in African qualifying

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) -- Liberia erased a two-goal deficit to beat Gambia 3-2 on aggregate and advance to the second round of African World Cup qualifying on Sunday while Ghana took a 5-0 lead after the first leg of its series against Somalia.

Isaac Tondo scored two goals in the second half as Liberia blanked Gambia 3-0 in the second match after losing 2-0 in the first leg.

Ghana got two goals each from Arhin Duah and Isaac Boakye to beat Somalia in Accra, Ghana. Asamoah Djan also scored for Ghana.

The second leg will be played Wednesday in Kumasi, Ghana.

Also Sunday, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cape Verde Islands, Guinea, Libya, Republic of Congo, Sudan, Togo and Uganda advanced to the second round.

On Saturday, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia advanced, while Algeria, Mali and Zimbabwe reached the second round on Friday.

Burkina Faso also advanced when Central African Republic withdrew.

The second round consists of five groups of six teams. Each of the preliminary round winners will join Cameroon, Congo (Zaire), Egypt, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia in the next phase.

In Monrovia, Liberia, Zizi Roberts opened the scoring for Liberia in the 11th minute after an 18-meter (yard) scramble toward the goal.

Tondo, who came on as a substitute, took a pass from Takrpor Sonkarlay in the 70th to score his first goal, and then added the series-winner in the 85th.

In Benghazi, Libya, Ahmed al-Masli scored three goals as Libya crushed Sao Tome 8-0 to advance with a 9-0 aggregate win.

Tarek al-Taeb added two goals for the hosts, who were playing without Saadi Gadhafi. The son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was suspended from playing in Italy's top league earlier this month for failing a doping test.

Marei al-Ramli, Ahmed Saad and Mohammed al-Kekli also scored for Libya.

In Cotonou, Benin, Omar Tchomogo scored three goals, including a series-winning penalty in injury time, as Benin nipped Madagascar 3-2 and advanced 4-3 on aggregate.

The visitors led 2-0 early in the first half, but Tchomogo scored in the 31st from the penalty spot and equalized in the 62nd before netting the winner, again with a penalty kick.

Jean Jacques Radonamahafalison and Alain Rakotobe scored for Madagascar.

In Freetown, Sierra Leone, Nguie Miem scored in the 69th minute to send Republic of Congo into the second round after helping his team draw 1-1 with Sierra Leone.

Republic of Congo, which beat Sierra Leone 1-0 in the first leg, advances with a 2-1 aggregate score.

Ibrahim Koroma had given the hosts the lead with a penalty in the 57th, but Miem's equalizer was enough to eliminate Sierra Leone and send the visitors to the next round.

In Lome, Togo, Adebayo Sheyi and Salifou Moustapha scored a goal each as Togo advanced after beating Equatorial Guinea 2-0 and 2-1 on aggregate.

Sheyi scored the first goal of the match in the 45th minute and Moustapha added the series-winner in the 52nd, lobbing the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper.

In Port Louis, Mauritius, David Obua scored in the 120th minute to help Uganda advance despite losing 3-1 to Mauritius. Uganda advanced 4-3 on aggregate.

Ricardo Nabodh, Cyrille Mourgine and Jerry Louis scored for Mauritius.

In Asmara, Eritrea, Sudan held the hosts to a 0-0 draw, sending the visitors on to the next round with a 3-0 aggregate win.