What was hardly an impressive victory for Bafana over Niger on Saturday in their opening 2012 Nations Cup qualifier has been given a lift by their next two opponents drawing on Sunday.

Bafana beat the West Africans 2-0 in Nelspruit, but coach Pitso Mosimane warned that they could rue their missed chances. This after striker Katlego Mphela and his team-mates failed to convert several chances against their much weaker opponents. But the win was enough to take Bafana to the top of group G, after African champions Egypt's dismal 1-1 draw with Sierra Leone in Cairo on Sunday.

This left Egypt and Sierra Leone with a point each, and Bafana with three and a superior goal difference.

Niger are bottom of the table and face Egypt on October8 at General Seyni Kountche stadium. Bafana travel to Freetown the same weekend to play Sierra Leone.

Though Egypt are now third in the group, a win against Niger by a bigger margin than three goals could enable them to claw their way to the top spot if Bafana also draw with Sierra Leone.

Bafana are no strangers to the Leone Stars. They were in the same Nations Cup qualifying group for the continental championship in Angola in January. Bafana, then under coach Joel Santana, lost 1-0 to Sierra Leone in Freetown in June 2008, and drew at Super stadium in the second leg of the clash between the two teams a few weeks later.

Bafana will play Egypt in March at FNB stadium, with the return leg for that fixture scheduled for June 3 in Cairo.

• Cape Verde became the surprise leaders of group A by beating Mali 1-0 at home, and Zimbabwe and Liberia drew 1-1 in the same group.

Tanzania held their own against World Cup qualifiers Algeria with a 1-1 draw in group D, and Morocco drew 0-0 with Central African Republic.