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Moving closer S. Africa, Cameroon, Tunisia win World Cup qualifiers
AP -- South Africa, Cameroon and Tunisia moved closer to World Cup berths with victories Sunday in African qualifying. South Africa won 2-1 at Malawi in Group E; Cameroon won 1-0 at home against Zambia in Group A; and Tunisia routed the Congo Democratic Republic in Group D. In Group B, Liberia beat Sierra Leone 1-0 and Sudan defeated Ghana 1-0. At Blantyre, Phil Masinga scored in the 25th minute and his replacement, Siyabonga Nomvete, scored in the 81st to lead South Africa. Patrick Madebi converted a penalty kick for Malawi in the 86th minute after South Africa goalkeeper Andre Arendse impeded an opposing player. South Africa (3-0) leads Group E with nine points, two ahead of Guinea (2-0-1). Zimbabwe (1-2) has three points, followed by Malawi (0-1-2) and Burkina Faso (0-3-1). At Yaounde, Patrick Mboma scored in the 22nd minute to lead Cameroon (4-0), which leads second-place Angola (2-1) by six points. Zambia (1-2) is third with three points, while Togo and Libya (each 0-2-1) have one each. Mboma, who plays for Italian Serie A team Parma, took a pass from teammate Lauren Etame Mayer to net the game-winner. The match was marked by few clear chances by either side as Zambia maintained a defensive shell in the first half, often posting eight players on the defensive line to shield against Cameroon's attack. The visitors opened up after the break but failed to connect on three scoring chances. Cameroon, which fields many Europe-based professionals, blamed the extreme humidity and heat for their sluggish play. "We cannot just jump out of low temperatures and play well in such harsh climatic conditions," said Cameroon's Salomon Olembe, who plays for French first division club FC Nantes. Many of the 80,000 spectators in attendance began leaving the stadium before the match ended. At Tunis, Ali Zitouni (eighth and 90th minutes) and Ziad Jaziri (26th and 63rd) each scored twice for Tunisia. Maher Kenzari converted a penalty kick in the 29th and Zoubir Baya scored in the 64th. Tunisia (3-0-1) is in first place with 10 points, six ahead of Ivory Coast (1-0-1), whose game against Congo was canceled when Congo withdrew. Madagascar and Congo Democratic Republic (each 1-2) have three points. Congo is 0-2. At Monrovia, Liberia beat visiting Sierra Leone on a 65th-minute goal by Zizi Roberts. A heavy security presence of police and military troops armed with automatic rifles and grenade launchers were stationed around the stadium near Liberia's capital and the hotel where Sierra Leone's players were lodged. Relations between the two countries have been tense for nearly a decade. Hours before the match, Liberian Sports Minister Francois Massaquoi appealed for calm. President Charles Taylor attended the match. "Sierra Leoneans are our brothers. Besides, this game has serious political and diplomatic dimensions," Massaquoi said on state radio. At Omdurman, Sudan beat visiting Ghana on a 71st-minute goal by James Joseph. Liberia (3-1) has nine points and has a three-point lead over group favorite Nigeria and Sudan (each 2-1). Ghana (1-2) has three points and and Sierra Leone (0-3) is last.
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