Vieira starts with draw as Senegal holds Mozambique; Nigeria edges past Madagascar

Former France star Patrick Vieira began his role as Senegal coach with a 1-1 draw in Mozambique. Nigeria managed to survive a scare, beating Madagascar 2-1 in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Friday.

Aston Villa striker Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring for Senegal after 32 minutes. He tapped in a close-range shot from a low cross. But Geny Catamo from Sporting Lisbon equalized for Mozambique just before halftime. He fired a shot from outside the box through a crowded goalmouth into the far corner.

Senegal had a lot of possession in the second half in Maputo. But they could not break through a well-organized Mozambican defense. The match was originally set to be played in Senegal, but it moved to Maputo because no stadium in Senegal meets international standards.

Vieira, who is 50, was a midfielder on the French teams that won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship. He also played for Arsenal. But his coaching career has not been as successful. He managed clubs in the United States, France, England, and Italy. He left Genoa last November after the club went winless and was at the bottom of Serie A.

Vieira took over a Senegal team from sacked coach Pape Thiaw. The team is going through a tough time after losing the AFCON title and having a poor performance at the World Cup. During the AFCON final, the Teranga Lions walked off the pitch to protest a penalty awarded to Morocco. Morocco missed the penalty when Senegal returned to the field.

Senegal won the final 1-0 after extra time, but the African Football Confederation later awarded a 3-0 victory to Morocco. Senegal appealed the decision, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport will hear it on October 8.

After losing to France and Norway in the World Cup, Senegal bounced back by beating Iraq. They squeezed into the round of 32 but lost to Belgium after giving up a two-goal lead.

In the match against Mozambique, Senegal did not have their recently retired goalkeeper Edouard Mendy or injured striker Sadio Mane.

Nigeria, who surprisingly did not qualify for the last two World Cups, fell behind at home against Madagascar. Ehsan Kari scored for Madagascar after 16 minutes in Uyo. The Super Eagles were missing injured star striker Victor Osimhen but found help from two players making their international debuts.

George Ilenikhena, a 20-year-old who plays in Saudi Arabia, equalized in first-half added time. Substitute Moses Usor, who plays for Austrian champions LASK, scored the winning goal in the 65th minute.