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Louis Mafouta, a striker based in France, scored twice to help the visitors claim a crucial away victory in Group E, which has proven to be a tough challenge so far.
Central African Republic earned their first victory in the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Côte d'Ivoire 2023 qualifiers with an impressive 3-0 win over Madagascar in Antananarivo on Thursday.
Louis Mafouta, a striker based in France, scored twice to help the visitors claim a crucial away victory in Group E, which has proven to be a tough challenge so far.
After drawing and losing their first two games of the group, Les Fauves were determined to get their first win and they did so in style, much to the surprise of the home crowd at the Kianja Barea Mahamasina Stadium.
Raoul Savoy's side were the better team throughout the match, which was officiated by Rwandan Samuel Uwikundra.
They dominated early on and it wasn't long before attacking midfielder Isaac Ngoma gave them the lead after half an hour of play.
Nine minutes later, Mafouta doubled the lead for Central African Republic, sparking celebrations among the travelling supporters.
Despite Madagascar's best efforts to get back into the game and score, goalkeeper Dominique Youfeigane was in fine form and kept them at bay.
In the 80th minute, Mafouta scored his second goal of the afternoon to seal the victory for his team, much to the delight of the travelling fans.
With this win, Les Fauves now have four points in Group E and move up to third place. Meanwhile, Madagascar remain at the bottom of the table with just one point.
Ghana and Angola are the current leaders of the group, both with five points each.
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