- Tunisia is officially qualified after its 1-1 draw against Tanzania
- DR Congo challenges Botswana, Benin faces Senegal
- All the information from the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025
Senegal 3-0 Benin-
Senegal confirmed their ambitions for the TotalEnergies CAF CAN 2025 title with a convincing 3-0 victory over Benin in their final Group D match, in a lively encounter played on Tuesday evening in Tangier.
The former African champions started the match with determination and were rewarded in the 38th minute, when Abdoulaye Seck rose above all to head a corner perfectly executed by Krépin Diatta, giving Senegal a deserved lead at the break.
Benin showed more urgency after the restart, testing Édouard Mendy with attempts from Aiyegun Tosin and Junior Olaïtan, but Senegal remained well organized in defense and efficient in their attacking play.
Senegal doubled their lead in the 62nd minute, thanks to their star striker Sadio Mané who turned into a decisive passer, slipping a precise pass into the area for Habib Diallo. The latter did not tremble and adjusted a left shot full of composure at point blank range.
The match took a dramatic turn in the 71st minute when captain Kalidou Koulibaly received a red card after consulting the VAR, forcing Senegal to finish the match with ten men during the last quarter of an hour.
Benin continued to push for an equalizer and forced Mendy into a series of saves, but their hopes were extinguished at the very end of added time.
In the 97th minute, substitute Chérif Ndiaye coolly converted the penalty obtained after the foul on Ibrahim Mbaye in the area, thus sealing a clear victory.
Senegal finished at the top of Group D, while Benin, despite the defeat, qualified for the round of 16 as one of the best third places.Group D ends with Senegal in first position, followed by DR Congo who easily won against Botswana in a match
simultaneous, as well as Benin among the best thirds.
Post-match statements
Abdoulaye Seck, Man of the match
“I am delighted to have won this award, but for me it is a collective effort. We knew from the start that the match would not be easy, because Benin came to fight. But thanks to everyone’s efforts, we managed to achieve this victory, even if we had to play with ten men for part of the match.
Benin coach, Gernot Rohr :
“It was a very difficult match against an experienced team like Senegal. Even with ten men, it was difficult to break through their defense as they were so compact. We also wanted to avoid taking cards that would have deprived certain players of the knockout stages, which made us a little more careful. These are mistakes that we will correct before the knockout matches, where 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 where we played with ten men for many minutes. We faced a very determined Benin team, but we managed to achieve our main objective: to finish at the top of the group. Our next objective is to correct the mistakes made during the group stage before entering the round of 16, because at this stage there will no longer be room for error, every mistake will be punished. We will use the next few days to resolve these problems.
Gaël Kakuta delivered a masterful performance, scoring two goals and providing an assist, as DR Congo clinched second place in Group D of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 with a crushing 3-0 victory over Botswana at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat.
This result confirms an enticing round of 16 for the Leopards against Algeria, who finished at the top of Group E.
Kakuta has been at the heart of all the positive actions of the DR Congo. His audacious heel assist allowed Nathaniel Mbuku to open the scoring, before the experienced playmaker calmly converted a penalty and completed his brace to cap off a dominant performance.
Mbuku opened the scoring in the 31st minute, finishing a fine team effort with a tight shot into the box after Kakuta had thwarted the Botswana defense with a clever backheel.
This goal was a deserved reward for the good start to the match by DR Congo, who pressed high and attacked with determination from the first exchanges.
Charles Pickel proved dangerous on two occasions, his first curling attempt narrowly missing the goal, before his second went over the crossbar. Fiston Mayele also almost scored, but his header from a cross from the left went wide of the post. The Leopards continued to put the pressure on.
Their dominance was rewarded just before the break. After consulting the VAR, a handball from Thabo Leinanyane on a cross from Meschack Elia was confirmed, and Kakuta took charge of converting the penalty with authority.
DR Congo comfortably reached half-time with a deserved two-goal lead.
After the restart, the Congolese team showed no sign of letting up. On the hour mark, Kakuta struck again to make it 3-0, controlling Theo Bongonda’s cross into the box before calmly choosing his angle to complete his brace.
Mayele thought he had added a fourth goal a few minutes later, but the celebrations were cut short following another VAR intervention. The striker was found guilty of touching the ball with his hand while attempting to score with a header from close range.
Botswana, already eliminated after its two defeats in the first two matches, struggled to react significantly. DR Congo, calm and disciplined, managed the end of the match with maturity to achieve a complete and well-executed victory.
Post-match statements
Gather –
“Let the glory be given to God. I was not included in the starting 11, here I am crowned Man of the Match. I would like to highlight our collective strength, today, we had a lot of changes but we stayed the course. »
Morena Ramoreboli – Botswana Coach :
“We are leaving the competition. I really liked the attitude of my players today, they wet their jerseys until the end by countering the attacks of the Congolese at the end. They didn’t give up and cause problems for the opponent. »
Tanzania 1-1 Tunisia
Scorers: F. Salum 47th / I.Gharbi 43rd
At the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, Tanzania and Tunisia drew (1-1) at the end of a long dull meeting, concluded by a Tanzanian equalizer with serious consequences in the standings.
Tunisia quickly took control of the ball, without really accelerating. After several alerts from Ismaël Gharbi, including a strike on the post, the Carthage Eagles were rewarded in the 42nd minute. Following a long VAR consultation for a foul on Hazem Mastouri, Gharbi converted the penalty, logically opening the score. At the break, the Tunisians led 1-0 after a poor but controlled first period.
Returning from the locker room, Tunisia chose to manage its lead. This lack of ambition gradually revived the more enterprising Taifa Stars. Despite a still choppy pace and numerous mistakes, Tanzania ended up being rewarded. In the 54th minute, Feisal Salum equalized with a curling shot from the edge of the area, whose rebound surprised Aymen Dahmen.
The end of the match then became tasteless. Both teams made numerous changes and seemed satisfied with the result. Tanzania even gained time, aware that this draw could propel it among the best thirds. Despite a few situations without real danger, the score has no longer changed.
This draw (1-1) qualified Tunisia, but above all it allowed Tanzania to maintain a serious hope of reaching the round of 16, thanks to this late equalizer snatched in a match that had been locked for a long time.
Post-match statements
Sami Trabelsi – Tunisia coach: “The most important thing was to ensure qualification. We haven’t done well in this competition in recent years, which is why this qualification is so important. We may not have played in the best way possible, but we are very happy to have gotten our ticket. We will face stronger opponents in the next matches and we will really have to raise our level, because the competition will be even tougher and will require significant improvement from us. »
Miguel Gamondi – Tanzania coach: “I didn’t have enough time to prepare the team, but we worked together with the management and the federation, and we feel great pride. Not just for me, but for the country. I wanted to change this outsider mentality. Qualifying is a great learning experience for Tanzania, which should be proud. I hope this serves as a reminder to these players, as well as the next generation, of the potential of Tanzanian football. »
Ouganda 1-3 Nigeria
Buteurs : P.Onuachu 28e, R. Onyedika 62e, 67e / R.Mato 75e
At the Fez Sports Complex, Nigeria dominated Uganda (3-1) and completed the group stage flawlessly, while the Cranes were eliminated.
The Super Eagles initially controlled a long balanced first period. After a big scare from Victor Osimhen, Paul Onuachu opened the scoring in the 27th minute, well served by Dele-Bashiru in the area. Nigeria then managed its advantage until the break, despite a few Ugandan attempts without real danger.
Returning from the locker room, the turning point of the match came in the 56th minute with the expulsion of goalkeeper Salim Magoola, guilty of a handball outside his area against Osimhen. With numerical superiority, Nigeria accelerated. Raphaël Onyedika doubled the lead in the 62nd minute, before scoring a double in the 67th, perfectly launched by Chukwueze (3-0).
Uganda saved the honor in the 74th minute thanks to Rogers Mato, author of a nice dive on the counter-attack, but without calling into question the outcome of the match. Solid and realistic, Nigeria finished at the top of its group with three victories in three matches, while Uganda, forced to win, left the competition in the group stage.
Post-match statements
Raphaël Onyedika – TotalEnergies CAF Man of the Match: “Thank you everyone. I feel very happy and I find it difficult to explain how I feel at the moment. These are moments I’ve been working for my whole life, and I’m glad to see things starting to come together.
It’s the same for any player: when you’re not playing, you have to stay focused, keep working hard and wait for your opportunity. The main thing is to be ready when this opportunity arrives and to be there every time the coach calls on you, because in the end, he is the one who decides who plays.
It feels good, but it’s also demanding, because of the standards and demands that we set for ourselves in training and in matches. Eric Chelle expects a lot from the players and we all push each other. It’s incredible. »
