Bouanga's hat-trick boosts Gabon's World Cup hopes
Gabon's national football team boosted its hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup with a 4-0 victory over host Seychelles, including a hat-trick from striker Denis Bouanga, on Wednesday in the seventh round of Group F of the African qualifiers.
Bouanga, the Los Angeles FC striker, scored a hat-trick in the first half (minutes 4, 34, and 38), taking his tally to eight goals in the qualifiers, placing him at the top of the scoring charts, two goals ahead of Mohamed Salah, captain of the Egyptian national team and star of Liverpool.
Yannis Mbemba, defender of Dutch second division club Dordrecht (second division), sealed the victory with the fourth goal in the 89th minute of the match, which took place in the village of Saint-Pierre, Mauritius.
Seychelles was forced to move its match to another island nation in the Indian Ocean due to its lack of an international-standard stadium. This is Gabon's sixth win, against one draw, as they seek to qualify for the finals for the first time in their history. They provisionally top the group with 18 points, two points ahead of Ivory Coast, which hosts Burundi in Abidjan next Friday. The nine group winners qualify for the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, while the four best second-placed teams receive a second chance via the playoffs.