In Tangier, Sadio Mane struck the equaliser as former champions Senegal came from behind to hold DR Congo to a 1–1 draw in an absorbing encounter.

Cedric Bakambu had handed Les Leopards the lead on the hour mark, capitalizing on sustained second-half pressure, but Senegal responded just eight minutes later through Mane to ensure the points were shared after a lively contest.

The Lions of Teranga dominated much of the first half and left the pitch with a sense of regret, having created several clear opportunities without finding the breakthrough.

Nicolas Jackson went closest early on, his close-range effort from a Mane cut-back drifting inches wide, while Mane himself saw a free-kick from the edge of the area narrowly miss the target.

Ismaila Sarr squandered perhaps the best chance of the half when he volleyed over from close range after a poorly defended set piece, before Pape Gueye forced a smart low save from the Congolese goalkeeper just before the interval.

DR Congo emerged with renewed intent after the restart and were quicker out of the blocks. Noah Sadiki tested Edouard Mendy with a firm drive before the breakthrough arrived in the 60th minute. Bakambu reacted quickest to tap home after Mendy had initially saved Theo Bongonda’s shot.

Senegal, however, showed character in their response. Substitute Ibrahim Mbaye sparked the move that led to the equalizer with a determined run down the right, his effort parried by the goalkeeper, allowing Mane to arrive at the right moment to calmly slot home the rebound.

Both sides pushed for a winner in the closing stages of a high-tempo encounter, but neither could find a decisive second goal.

The draw keeps Senegal top of the group on four points, level with DR Congo but ahead on goal difference. The final group fixtures on Tuesday, Senegal against Benin and DR Congo facing Botswana, will determine the final standings and qualification positions.

REACTIONS:

Sadio Mane MOM TotalEnergies

“One point is not too bad as our opponents DR Congo were determined and played very well. They were good and compact in defence, they did not take any unnecessary risks, so they also deserve the one point. We are not completely unhappy as the Afcon us always tough. It was a tough match and in this competition you cannot underrate any team.”

DR Coach Sebastian Desabre:

“It was a hotly contested game. We needed to step up to the plate which we did. We started slowly and as time went on we improved. The second half was excellent and this fell in line with our plans. We wanted to have four points by the end of our second match so we have met our targets.

It was a good game. It was a different game from what happened when the two sides played in Kinshasa. These two teams know themselves very well so playing against each other will always be tough as the games are very tight like it happened today. On the flanks Senegal were very swift with players like Jackson but we managed to contain them and that led to this result. Overall the guys put up a good show. We can congratulate the boys for a good job done.”

Yohan Roche’s first-half strike proved decisive as Benin reignited their TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025 Round of 16 qualification hopes with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Botswana in Rabat.

This was Benin’s first ever victory at the AFCON. The result not only penned a brilliant chapter in their history, but also saw Gernot Rohr’s men respond positively after their opening-day defeat to DR Congo.

Meanwhile, Botswana’s ambitions of a first-ever progression to the knockout stage suffered a major setback following a second consecutive loss.

Benin made a purposeful start and were briefly celebrating inside the opening quarter of an hour before Aiyegun Tosin’s effort was ruled out for offside. Their persistence was eventually rewarded in the 28th minute when Roche found the breakthrough.

The left-back finished off a pass from captain Steve Mounié, his effort taking a decisive deflection off a defender before beating goalkeeper Goitseone Phoko.

Botswana came close to restoring parity seven minutes before the interval, but Mothusi Johnson’s superb free-kick crashed against the crossbar.

After the restart, Benin looked to put the contest beyond doubt. Tamimou Ouorou went close on two occasions, first forcing Phoko into a full-stretch save from distance before seeing another deflected effort well gathered by the Botswana goalkeeper.

Botswana pushed forward in the closing stages in search of a lifeline, but lacked the cutting edge required to trouble the Beninese defence.

The Zebras will conclude their Group D campaign against DR Congo in Rabat on Tuesday, while Benin face former champions Senegal in Tangier on the same day, knowing that a positive result could secure their place in the knockout phase.

REACTIONS:

Gernot Rohr, Benin coach:

“This victory is important to us because it gives us a chance to qualify for the next round. We proved today that we have progressed defensively. We didn’t concede many opportunities and we recovered well, especially on the offense.

I am happy for Yohan Roche who laughed at his mistake in the first match and who has just been elected Man of the match.

Morena Ramoreboli – Botswana Coach

“In the first 45 minutes, we got one opportunity which I think we should have buried and unfortunately from very same opportunity, we conceded the other side. The sad part about this game is that we were creating in the first half but in the second half after we tried to get more possession, we were doing that but we did not really get that penetration or create more opportunities.

It is unfortunate that this is a game of football that works on who scored more goals and who made more mistakes and in this situation we made one mistake which resulted in us conceding a goal.

When you look at them, they played all match with just one corner kick and that simply means they were not really giving us problems in terms of how they wanted to attack us. The worst part is that their defender is man of the match and that simply says, as much as he is the one who scored a goal, they were defending and defending well and unfortunately we are on the losing end today”

Yohan Roche MOTM

“It is a source of immense pride. We were aware of the people’s expectations, and we managed to stay focused to secure the win. This goal is particularly touching for me, especially after the difficulties of the first match. It was an immense joy to score the winning goal for Benin in front of my family, who are here in Morocco.

So proud to have scored this winning goal! 🇧🇯 It was a tough match against a solid Botswana team, but we did what was necessary. Happy to have contributed to this historic first victory in the Africa Cup. We keep going together! “ (CAFonline)

•Yohan Cedric Roche of Benin celebrates goal during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON match between Benin and Botswana at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, Morocco on 27 December 2025

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