Cameroon, bolstered by Premier League duo Andre Onana and Bryan Mbeumo, were held to a 0-0 draw by minnows Eswatini on Wednesday when matchday five World Cup qualifying kicked off in Africa.
The drab Group D deadlock did increase the Indomitable Lions’ lead at the top of the table to two points, but Cape Verde or Libya could displace them with victories on Thursday.
Manchester United goalkeeper Onana was a virtual spectator in South African city Mbombela, where Eswatini host matches as the tiny kingdom lacks a FIFA-approved stadium.
Brentford forward Mbeumo was prominent in the opening half, and his second-half cross led to captain Vincent Aboubakar having a header brilliantly tipped over by Mlamuli Makhanya.
It was the closest Cameroon, ranked 110 places above Eswatini, came to ending the deadlock as they seek a ninth World Cup appearance at the 2026 finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Eswatini remained bottom of the six-nation group with just one point, but they did end a run of four losses since qualifying began in November 2023.
Elsewhere, Group H leaders Tunisia stretched their lead to five points with a 1-0 away win over Liberia while Madagascar hammered the Central African Republic 4-1 to go top of Group I.
Tunisian Hazem Mastouri scored after four minutes with a close-range shot that beat goalkeeper Tommy Songo at his near post to earn the Carthage Eagles a fourth victory in five outings.
Tunisia, seeking to qualify for the global showpiece for a seventh time, have 13 points. Namibia lie second with eight points, followed by Liberia on seven.
Madagascar recovered from falling behind to an early Hugo Gambor goal to crush the Central African Republic in Casablanca, where Rayan Raveloson scoring twice within four minutes before half-time.
Arnaud Randrianantenaina put the Indian Ocean nation two goals ahead early in the second half and Lalaina Rafanomezantsoa netted with one minute of regular time remaining to complete the rout.
Madagascar rose to 10 points, and the Comoros and four-time World Cup qualifiers Ghana have nine each in one of the most hotly contested of the nine groups.
Central African Republic are another nation lacking an international-standard stadium, meaning the match was held in Morocco.
There are nine qualifiers scheduled for Thursday when former Manchester United backroom staffer Benni McCarthy debuts as Kenya coach in a Group F clash against The Gambia in Abidjan.
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