© Reuters 2002

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 13 (Reuters) - The Gambia registered their biggest-ever international victory with a 6-0 thrashing of Lesotho at the start of their African Nations Cup qualifying campaign on Sunday.

The runaway victory in Banjul, engineered by the small west African country's band of overseas-based professionals, was the most one-sided match on a busy weekend of qualifying games.

Aziz Corr Nyang, who plays in Sweden, and the Dutch-based Jatto Cessay both scored twice for the Gambia.

It was the first game for the Gambians in qualifying for the 2004 finals which are to be hosted by Tunisia. They lead World Cup quarter-finalists Senegal on goal difference at the top of Group Eight.

Morocco thumped Group Seven rivals Equatorial Guinea 5-0 in Rabat and Ghana won 4-2 against Rwanda in Group 13 after fighting back from going a goal down to the east African minnows in Accra.

Congo won 3-0 against Group Four rivals Mozambique in Maputo to seize the biggest away win of the weekend while Kenya, Madagascar, Sudan and Zimbabwe also picked up victories on their travels.

Swaziland pulled off a surprise 2-1 win over Libya in Group Nine on Sunday while Algeria's 4-1 victory over Chad on Friday gave them six points from two matches in Group 12.

Morocco were four up at half time against Equatorial Guinea, who have only ever won one international match, but could only manage one goal in the second half.

INTRIGUING CONTEST
Their win sets up an intriguing contest in Group Seven because Sierra Leone have also won their opening two matches after beating Gabon 2-0 in Freetown on Saturday.

Sierra Leone play hosts to Morocco in March next year in a match which could decide the outcome of the group.

Ghana were a goal down to tiny Rwanda after just 15 minutes in Accra before fighting back to win the game. The four times African champions were attempting to recover their qualification dreams after losing their opening match in Uganda last month.

Congo captain Rolf-Christel Nguie-Mien scored one of the three goals in the victory in Maputo against a Mozambique side playing at full strength for the first time in more than two years.

Media reports said Mozambique coach Augusto Matine was due to announce his resignation on Monday.

English-based footballers featured among the goalscorers with Gillingham's Mamady Sidibe scoring on his debut as Mali beat Group Six opponents the Seychelles 3-0 in Bamako on Sunday.

In the same group, Sheffield United's Peter Ndlovu hit the only goal in Zimbabwe's win in Eritrea on Saturday.

Newcastle United's Lomana Tresor Lua Lua scored a goal but was also sent off as the Democratic Republic of Congo beat Botswana 2-0 in a Group Nine tie in Kinshasa.

Two French-born players grabbed a double apiece as Nassim Akrour and Djamel Belmadi gave Algeria a second successive win in Group 12.

Their 4-1 triumph over Chad in Annaba on Friday leaves the north Africans with six points and realistically needing just one more win to book their place at the 16-team finals.

The winners of the 13 groups qualify for the finals in Tunisia in January 2004 along with the host nation and Cameroon, the holders of the African title. The best second-place finishers from groups one through 10 will also qualify.