COSAFA side Madagascar made a bright start to the CAF Beach Soccer Championship when they defeated west Africans Ghana 9-4 in their Group B opener in the Seychelles.

It was the same scoreline the Malagasy managed when they defeated Malawi in the decider of the inaugural COSAFA Beach Soccer Championship on Saturday.

The win is the perfect start for the islanders, who are hoping to become the first team from the Southern African region to lift the continental crown.

In the other match in the pool, Senegal defeated Morocco 7-3.

In the matches in Group A, hosts Seychelles lost 10-1 to Nigeria and Ivory Coast defeated Egypt 3-1 on penalties after the teams had played to a 3-3 draw.

The action continues on Wednesday, with the final set for Sunday.

The top two teams in the tournament will play in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup to be staged in Portugal later in the year.