USA-based Gabonese man of the moment Denis Bouanga scored a hat trick while substitute Yannis M’Bemba got the other goal as the Panthers of Gabon comfortably dispatched Seychelles by 4-0 to go top of group F of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The Los Angelos FC striker who scored for his USA club just 48 hours before the game needed just 38 minutes to complete his first hat trick for his country at the Cote d Or Sports Complex in the Mauritian city of Saint Pierre as Gabon overtook Cote D’Ivoire in the group standings again, though the African champions have a game in hand.
There had even been fears Bouanga will not make it in time for the game or suffer from fatigue due to the long flight trajectory from the USA to Mauritius Islands, but Bouanga had other ideas.
The former Saint Etienne forward arrived camp less than 24 hours before the game, trained once with the squad and earned his place in the starting XI.
Barely four minutes into the game, the former Saint Etienne forward leading his nation in the absence of Pierre Emerick Aubameyang put Gabon ahead with a fine solo finish.
That early goal didn’t change a lot as Mauritius remained organized at the back and relied on catching Gabon via quick counter attacking moves.
However the game was settled just after the hour mark when Bouanga scored twice in quick succession to make it 3-0.
The 34th a d 38th minute goal from captain Bouanga made it almost impossible for Seychelles to get something from their seventh outing of the qualifiers while Gabon looked set to earn another three points.
M’Bemba was brought on to add attacking energy and he proved the coach right scoring in the 89th minute to round up a perfect display from the visitors who showcased proper wing attacking football.
Bouanga’s latest goals now puts the 30-year-old at the top of the qualifiers’ scoring chart on eight goals, two ahead of Egypt’s Mohamed Salah.
For Gabon, they take their points tally to 18 from a possible 21 from the seven games played so far. They are ahead of Cote D’Ivoire by two points. The Elephants will face the Squirrels of Burundi on Friday, before traveling to Gabon for a crunch group decider on match day eight next Tuesday in Franceville.
Seychelles are bottom of the group without a point but can be inspired by their better second half performance against Gabon next time out.
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