Senegal underlined their TotalEnergies CAF AFCON title credentials with a commanding 3-0 victory over Benin in their final Group D encounter, in an entertaining contest played in Tangiers on Tuesday evening.

The former African champions made a purposeful start and were rewarded in the 38th minute, when Abdoulaye Seckrose highest to power home a header from Krépin Diatta’s well-delivered set piece, giving Senegal a deserved lead at the interval.

Benin showed greater urgency after the restart, testing Édouard Mendy through efforts from Aiyegun Tosin and Junior Olaïtan, but Senegal remained well organised at the back and clinical in their attacking play.

Senegal doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute, with star forward Sadio Mané turning provider, slipping a neat pass into the area for Habib Diallo, who made no mistake with a composed left-footed finish from close range.

The match took a dramatic turn in the 71st minute when captain Kalidou Koulibaly was shown a red card following a VAR review, forcing Senegal to see out the contest with ten men for the final quarter of an hour.

Benin pushed forward in search of a response and forced Mendy into a series of saves, but their hopes were extinguished deep into stoppage time.

In the 97th minute, substitute Cherif Ndiaye calmly converted from the penalty spot after Ibrahim Mbaye was brought down in the area, sealing a comprehensive scoreline.

The result sees Senegal finish top of Group D, while Benin, despite the defeat, progress to the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams.

Group D concludes with Senegal at the top, followed by DR Congo who cruised past Botswana in a simultaneous match along with Benin as one of the best third place finishers.

Reactions

MOM Abdoulaye Seck

"I am delighted to have won the award but for me it was a collective team effort that led to this. We knew from the start that the match was not going to be easy because Benin came out to fight. But the effort of everyone ensured that we secured this victory despite playing with ten men later on in the game."

Benin coach Gerrit Rohr:

"This was a very difficult match against a highly experienced team like Senegal. Even though they were down to ten men it was difficult to break through their defence because they were compact. We also wanted to avoid a situation where we could get some cards that would have ruled out some of our players in the knock out stage and this made us a bit cautious. These are some of the mistakes we will correct before we play in the knockout stage and we will fight to go as far as possible in the competition."

Senegal coach Pape Thiaw:

"The players deserve all the praise for their performance in this difficult match that we played with ten men for some parts of the game. We faced a very determined Benin team but we managed to achieve our main objective of finishing top of the group. Our next objective is to correct the mistakes we made in our group stage match before we go into the Round of 16 because on that stage there will be no rooms for errors which will be published. We will use the next few days to address these problems."

DR Congo 3-0 Botswana

Gael Kakuta delivered a masterclass performance, scoring twice and providing an assist as DR Congo secured second place in Group D of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025 with a commanding 3–0 victory over Botswana at Al Madina Stadium in Rabat.

The result confirms a mouth-watering Round of 16 showdown for Les Leopards against Algeria, who finished top of Group E.

Kakuta was at the heart of everything good for DR Congo. His audacious backheel assist released Nathaniel Mbuku to break the deadlock, before the experienced playmaker calmly converted a penalty and later completed his brace to cap a dominant display.

Mbuku opened the scoring after 31 minutes, finishing off a flowing team move with a stretched effort inside the area after Kakuta’s clever backheel had split the Botswana defense.

The goal was a deserved reward for DR Congo’s positive start, having pressed high and attacked with intent from the opening exchanges.

Charles Pickel twice threatened from range, his first curling attempt drifting narrowly wide before his second sailed over the bar. Fiston Mayele also went close, flashing a header wide at the near post from a left-wing delivery, as the Leopards continued to apply pressure.

Their dominance was further rewarded just before the interval. A VAR review confirmed a handball by Thabo Leinanyane as he attempted to block a cross from Meschack Elia, and Kakuta stepped up to dispatch the resulting penalty with authority.

DR Congo comfortably went into the break with a deserved two-goal advantage.

After the restart, the Congolese side showed no signs of easing off. On the hour mark, Kakuta struck again to make it 3–0, controlling Theo Bongonda’s cross inside the box before calmly picking his spot to complete his brace.

Mayele thought he had added a fourth minutes later, but celebrations were cut short following another VAR intervention. The forward was adjudged to have handled the ball as he attempted to head home from close range.

Botswana, already eliminated after defeats in their opening two matches, struggled to mount any meaningful response. DR Congo, composed and disciplined, managed the closing stages with maturity to close out a comprehensive and well-executed victory.

REACTIONS

Gael Kakuta, man of the match:

“All glory be to God. I wasn’t supposed to be in the starting 11, and here I am being named Man of the Match. I would like to highlight our collective strength. Today, we had many changes, but we stayed the course.”

Morena Ramoreboli, Botswana head coach:

“We are leaving the competition, but I really liked my players’ attitude today; they gave everything right until the end, repelling the Congolese attacks late on. They did not make it easy for the opponents and caused them problems.”

Morena Ramoreboli – Botswana’s Head Coach

“We are leaving the competition. I really liked the attitude of my players today; they gave their all until the end, countering the Congolese attacks at the finish. They didn’t let themselves be pushed around and caused problems for the opponent.”

Tanzania 1-1 Tunisia

Goalscorers : F. Salum 47' / I.Gharbi 43'

At the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, Tanzania and Tunisia played to a 1–1 draw at the end of a largely subdued contest, Tanzania coming from a goal down to equalize in a result that caried significant implications for the Group standings.

Tunisia enjoyed early control of possession but struggled to raise the tempo. After a series of attacks and threat at goal from Ismael Gharbi, including a cracking left foot curler that struck the post, the Carthage Eagles were eventually rewarded in the 42nd minute.

Hazem Mastouri was fouled in the box by Bakari Mwamnyeto and following a lengthy VAR review, Tunisia was awarded a penalty. Gharbi stepped up to convert, giving Tunisia a deserved lead.

The North Africans went into the break 1–0 ahead after a first half that was low on rhythm but comfortably managed.

After the restart, Tunisia opted to protect their advantage rather than push on. That cautious approach gradually invited Tanzania back into the game, with the Taifa Stars growing in confidence and intent.

The ambitious Tanzanians finally found their moment in the 54th minute. Feisal Salum curled a fine effort from the edge of the area, the bounce catching goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen off guard as the ball nestled into the net.

The closing stages lacked intensity, as both sides made multiple substitutions and appeared content with the outcome. Tanzania, aware that the point could place them among the best third-placed teams, managed the clock intelligently.

The 1–1 draw officially secured Tunisia’s qualification to the Round of 16 on second place in the group, while Tanzania preserved a strong chance of progression as one of the best four third placed ranked teams.

Post-match reactions

Sami Trabelsi – Tunisia Coach : “The most important thing was to secure qualification. We have not done well in this competition in recent years and that is why qualification is so important. We may not have played the best way possible, but we are very happy to have qualified. We will be playing against stronger opposition in our upcoming games and will really need to play better because the level of competition will be even higher and requires us to improve.”

Miguel Gamondi – Tanzania Coach : “I didn’t have enough time to prepare the team, but we worked together with the management and federation and feel very proud. Not just for myself but for the country. I wanted to change this mentality of underdogs. To qualify is a great learning for Tanzania who must be proud. I hope this will be a reminder to these players and the next generation of players on the potential of Tanzanian football”

Uganda 1-3 Nigeria

Goalscorers : P.Onuachu 28e, R. Onyedika 62e, 67e / R.Mato 75e

Nigeria confirmed their place at the top of Group C with an emphatic 3-1 victory over Uganda in their final group match played on Tuesday at the Complexe Sportif de Fès in Fès, officially ending Uganda’s campaign in the competition.

The Super Eagles entered the contest following two victories over Tanzania and Tunisia, while Uganda had an open chance but needed maximum points.

It was the 2023 edition runners-up, Nigeria who took the lead in the 28th minute when Paul Onuachu finished from close range, steering the ball into the bottom left corner after a precise assist from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru. The goal followed sustained Nigerian pressure and came shortly after Uganda goalkeeper Denis Onyango had produced a fine save to deny the same striker.

Uganda made multiple changes at the start of the second half, but their task became more difficult in the 56th minute when Salim Magoola was shown a red card for handball. Nigeria capitalised on their numerical advantage soon after.

In the 62nd minute, Raphael Onyedika doubled Nigeria’s lead with a composed right-footed finish from the right side of the box, assisted by Samuel Chukwueze. Just five minutes later, Onyedika struck again, this time finishing from the centre of the area to make it 3-0, once more following a Chukwueze assist.

Despite being reduced to ten men, Uganda continued to push forward and were rewarded in the 75th minute when Rogers Mato pulled one back, slotting home from the centre of the box after being played through by Allan Okello.

Nigeria responded by managing the closing stages professionally, making several substitutions to see out the match.

The result sees the Super Eagles finishing top of the group with three wins in as many games, while the Uganda Cranes see the campaign come to an end.

Post-match reactions

Raphael Onyedika - TotalEnergies Man of the Match : “Thank you everyone . I feel very happy and I can’t really explain how I feel in this moment. These are moments I’ve been working towards all my life, and I’m happy that things are starting to come under control. It’s the same as for any other player—when you’re not playing, you have to stay focused, keep working hard and wait for your opportunity. It’s about being ready when that opportunity comes, performing whenever the coach calls on you, because in the end it’s the coach who decides who plays. It feels good, but it’s also tough because of the standards and demands we set in training and in games. Eric Chelle expects a lot from the players and we push everyone. It’s amazing.” (CAFonline)

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