Guinea routs Somalia 3-0 in Kampala, boosting World Cup qualifying bid

Guinea brush past Somalia in Kampala to keep 2026 World Cup push alive

Guinea kept their World Cup dream humming on Friday with a professional 3–0 win over Somalia at Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, a tidy night’s work that moved the Syli National to 10 points and kept them within touching distance of Group G’s frontrunners as Africa’s qualifiers tilt into their decisive stretch.

Serhou Guirassy struck early, an own goal midway through the second half doubled the cushion, and a stoppage-time tap-in from Ousmane Camara applied the final coat of gloss. The scoreline reflected the gulf in cutting edge, even if Somalia’s spirited burst after the break briefly threatened to bend the narrative.

The goals — and the gap

Guinea were not flamboyant, but they were clinical. The opener arrived in the 21st minute, born of a simple truth in African qualifying: set pieces decide tight nights. A corner was recycled into the six-yard box, where Guirassy — fresh off a prolific club season in Germany — was first to the bouncing ball and steered it home from close range.

Before halftime, Guinea could have stretched away. Guirassy volleyed over from a teasing cross, and Somalia’s goalkeeper, Mohamud Jama Abdirahman, got down sharply to push a Seydouba Cissé curler wide on the stroke of the interval. The Ocean Stars clung on, and after the restart, they found a bit of wind. A finish that would have leveled the match was waved off for an earlier whistle, and Adem Musse Ali bent a free kick just past the post on 61 minutes.

That was as close as Somalia came. Minutes later, Guinea fired a low ball across the goalmouth, and under pressure from Guirassy, defender Faysal Abubakar turned it into his own net. With Somalia chasing, the visitors’ patience and organization did the rest. In added time, substitute Ousmane Camara ghosted to the back post and tapped in the third to underline a one-sided conclusion. A pair of late cautions — Mouctar Diakhaby for Guinea and Abdulle Abdullahi for Somalia — punctuated a second half that tilted progressively toward the team in red.

Duarte’s debut, and a job done

For Paulo Duarte, Guinea’s new coach, this was a debut that favored substance over style. His side sat compact between the lines, pressed in short, controlled bursts, and leaned on Guirassy’s penalty-box instincts rather than heavy construction. In the late stages, fresh legs up front — particularly from Camara — ensured the result never drifted into jeopardy.

For Somalia, there were flickers of defiance: stout blocks, a handful of swift counters, and that near-equalizer that could have changed the temperature of the night. But the margins remain unforgiving. The Ocean Stars have three goals in seven qualifiers and have not celebrated a World Cup qualifying victory since 2019. Head coach Yusuf Ali Nur shuffled attackers in the final 20 minutes in search of a spark, but a lack of creativity through midfield and costly turnovers in transition told the story.

The long road from “home”

Friday’s match was Somalia’s home fixture in name only. Security requirements and stadium readiness have forced the national team to stage “home” qualifiers abroad, a reality that flattens atmosphere and travel advantages. Yet Somalis traveled. Pockets of sky-blue shirts dotted the grandstands in Kampala, drums and ululations occasionally cutting through the evening as fans tried to will the team forward.

There are signs that the pendulum could swing back toward Mogadishu. In May, a FIFA- and CAF-backed “Legends Peace Tour” exhibition drew a celebratory crowd to a refurbished Mogadishu Stadium, part of a broader attempt to reconnect Somali football with its capital. Results will take time. Identity is already visible — in diaspora forwards like Sakariya Abdi Hassan, who has emerged as a symbol of the program’s growing reach, and in the resilience of a squad straddling two worlds.

Group G tightens; the continent surges

Guinea’s victory briefly lifted them into third, but the day’s late kickoff in the same group shuffled the deck once more. Uganda thumped Mozambique 4–0 to leapfrog into second on goal difference behind leaders Algeria. By night’s end, the unsubtle math looked like this: Algeria 18 points; Uganda and Mozambique on 12; Guinea on 10; Somalia marooned on one. It feels less like a procession than a traffic jam — one that rewards teams who can string together consecutive wins in a fixture calendar short on second chances.

The wider African picture sharpened on Friday as well. Morocco, the standard-bearers from the last World Cup, punched their ticket to 2026 with a 5–0 demolition of Niger — the first African side to formally book a place in North America. Egypt and South Africa took firm strides toward qualification, while DR Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Uganda and The Gambia banked wins that keep their paths clear.

In this CAF gauntlet, the rules are stark: nine group winners advance directly. The four best runners-up go to a playoff for a single intercontinental berth. It’s a funnel that magnifies pressure and punishes slips. For Guinea, that makes Friday’s win necessary more than transformative — an important box ticked rather than a season-defining leap.

What it means

For Guinea: momentum, at last. Ten points with two windows to play keeps Paulo Duarte’s team in the conversation. The remit is simple — win, and the rest may take care of itself. Guirassy’s fitness and form, plus the steady production from wide areas, will be decisive in the next round.

For Somalia: the search goes on. The Ocean Stars are playing for pride, experience and the future as much as for the present. Can they turn brave spells into tangible points? Can the creativity gap in midfield be bridged, even as the program continues to knit together the domestic league with a far-flung diaspora? Those are questions that a young team will have to answer on the run.

Match details at a glance

• Full-time: Somalia 0–3 Guinea (Kampala, Mandela National Stadium)
• Scorers: Serhou Guirassy 21′; Faysal Abubakar (own goal) ~63′; Ousmane Camara 90′+
• Bookings: Guinea — Mouctar Diakhaby 83′; Somalia — Abdulle Abdullahi 90′
• Group G standings (selected): Algeria 18, Uganda 12, Mozambique 12, Guinea 10, Somalia 1

In a qualifying campaign defined by thin margins and long flights, Friday felt like a clear step forward for Guinea and another hard lesson for Somalia. The World Cup remains distant for both. But for one, the road is smoothening. For the other, the road — for now — still leads away from home.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.