The international window over the last week left some space for African teams to digest the latest round of 2017 African Nations' Cup (ANC) qualifiers, where South Africa sit at the bottom of their group.
Elsewhere, Nigeria recovered from a disappointing result in their ANC qualifier to give their new coach Sunday Oliseh his first victory. Gabon gained a player, Sudan are searching for a coach and Ghana crowned a new league champion.
South Africa save face
After a huge dent to their hopes of qualifying for the 2017 ANC, Bafana Bafana recovered from their 3-1 defeat to Mauritania by beating Senegal 1-0, but only in a friendly. They won the annual Nelson Mandela challenge in the 77th minute when debutant Mpho Makola struck the solitary goal. The victory will not better Bafana Bafana's chances of competing in the continental showpiece but it has made them feel better after they were criticised for the carelessness in the ANC qualifier. "We redeemed ourselves tonight after the loss in Mauritania," coach Shakes Mashaba said.
Oliseh off the mark
A goalless draw against Tanzania last weekend was not the start Oliseh would have wanted for his first match in charge of Nigeria, but the Super Eagles put that right with a 2-0 victory in a friendly over Niger on Tuesday. Ahmed Musa was on the scoresheet when he scored from the penalty spot and Moses Simon doubled the advantage in the 85th minute. Oliseh was not as thrilled as he could have been, instead speaking about the difficulties of coaching an international side and the role Europe is playing in stunting the development of African players.
Welcome home for Lemina
Mario Lemina, the Gabonese-born, French-raised, Italian-based midfielder playing in France has decided he will represent the country of his birth after all, nine months after deciding on the opposite. In January, Lemina -- on loan at Marseille from Juventus -- turned down a call-up to the Gabon national side but this week revealed he had changed his mind. The news will be welcomed by Gabon, who are searching for depth ahead of their hosting of the 2017 ANC.
Sudan seeking success
With their clubs performing well in the CAF Champions League, where Al-Merrikh are already in the semifinals and Al-Hilal need a victory on Saturday to get there, Sudan are turning their attention to national success. The Sudanese Football Association are seeking the services of former Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah to take over from Mohammed Abdallah, who has been in charge of the team since 2007. Appiah lost the Ghana job in September last year after a disappointing World Cup. But the World Cup is precisely what Sudan know Appiah from. He was at the Black Stars' helm when they beat Sudan both home and away in qualifying for the tournament.
Sudan currently top their ANC qualifying pool, which only contains three teams because Gabon, the other side in their group, are hosting the tournament. They beat Sierra Leone 1-0 but still have to take on Ivory Coast.
Gold for Ashanti Gold
The aptly named Ashanti Gold have won their fourth Ghanaian Premier League title after a 19-year trophy drought, with a game to spare. Of their 29 matches so far, Ashanti Gold have won 15, drawn seven and lost seven with none of their defeats coming at home. They slipped off the top of the table lead only once in the 29 weeks, in the fourth week when Aduana Stars took over briefly. Ashanti Gold's victory means they qualify for the CAF Champions League for the first time since 2008.