Bonaventure Kalou opened the scoring for the Elephants

Group Three leaders Ivory Coast took a step closer to a first ever World Cup finals appearance when beating Benin 3-0 in Abidjan on Sunday.

The Elephants extended their gap at the top to four points after easing to a comfortable victory thanks to goals from Bonaventure Kalou and two from Didier Drogba.

Kalou opened the scoring after 12 minutes before Drogba converted a penalty six minutes later.

The Chelsea striker scored the game's final goal in the 59th minute when he made it 3-0 for Henri Michel's high-flying side.

The match was notable for the presence of Ivorian goalkeeper Jean-Jacques Tizie, who returned to competitive action for the Elephants a month after losing a testicle in a freak accident while playing for Tunisian club Esperance.

Cameroon's hopes of reaching a fifth successive World Cup finals were kept alive in dramatic fashion on Sunday when Sudan were beaten 2-1 in Yaounde.

The Indomitable Lions entered injury time with the scores locked at 1-1 but substitute Achille Webo struck in the second minute of the stoppage period to secure a vital victory.

It was the second time in successive World Cup qualifiers against Sudan that Cameroon had scored in the last minute, following their last-minute equaliser in the October clash in Khartoum.

Cameroon had opened the scoring when Geremi flighted home a free-kick after 35 minutes, but Haythan Tambal drew the visitors level just seven minutes later.

Midway through the second half, Cameroon's task was helped when Sudan's Amier Damer was sent off.

Webo struck deep into injury time to secure a vital win for Cameroon

The victory was the first in charge of a competitive match for Cameroon by their new Portuguese coach Artur Jorge, who was appointed in January.

From their six games, Cameroon can now boast 11 points, one more than both Egypt and Libya.

The latter two met in Cairo, where the home side survived a scare before running out comfortable 4-1 winners.

The Libyans, who started the day second in the table but who now lie fourth, took the lead after 52 minutes through Osman El Fergani.

Egypt needed only three minutes to draw level as Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam fired home on his international return.

In an action-packed five minute spell, the Pharaohs then went 2-1 up after 57 minutes as Emad Meteib converted.

The Turkey-based Ahmed Hasssan added another after 79 minutes before Meteib wrapped up the scoring with his second goal nine minutes from time.

Before the start of the match, the qualifier was marred by crowd violence as a section of the 5,000 travelling Libyan fans ripped up the plastic seats inside the stadium and hurled them at police.

There were also scuffles after the match, although there were no reports of serious injuries.