AFCON Matchday 3: Tunisia enjoy impressive win over Uganda, Lookman’s swift reply seals Nigeria win, Senegal cruise past Botswana, DR Congo edge Benin
- DR Congo secure narrow 1-0 win over Benin in Rabat
- Senegal cruise to 3-0 win against Botswana
- Nigeria recover from scare to beat Tanzania
- Tunisia ease past Uganda
Tunisia 3–1 Uganda
Goals: E. Skhiri (10’), Elias Achouri (40’, 64’) / D. Omedi (90+2’)
Tunisia made a perfect start to their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 campaign with a convincing 3–1 victory over Uganda on Tuesday evening at the Annex Olympic Stadium of the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat.
The Carthage Eagles took early control of the contest and opened the scoring in the 10th minute through Elyes Skhiri, who finished off a well-worked team move with a precise strike.
In full command of proceedings, Tunisia maintained their tempo and doubled their lead just before the break, with Elias Achouri showing great composure inside the box to score in the 40th minute.
After half-time, Samy Trabelsi’s men continued to assert their dominance. Solid and well organised throughout, they put the result beyond doubt in the 64th minute when Achouri completed his brace with a clinical finish.
Uganda pulled one back in stoppage time through Denis Omedi, capitalising on a slight lapse in concentration from the Tunisians late on. The goal, however, had no impact on the final outcome, with Tunisia firmly in control by that stage.
With this assured performance, Tunisia get their Group C campaign off to an ideal start and immediately signal their ambitions in the competition.
POST MATCH REACTIONS:
PAUL PUT – UGANDA COACH
“We showed them too much respect, we know they are good at set pieces. This is a bad start. I think we were not aggressive enough. If you play AFCON, you need to win the duels. We only had about 25 minutes of the game but the rest, we were on the backfoot which is not enough for a competition like the Africa Cup of Nations”
“We know what we have to do in our next game. We will be playing under pressure. A draw will not be enough. You now need to win your next game to be in a position to finish second or third. We will analyse the game and identify what we did wrong and what can be done better. I do believe that we can bounce back”
SAMI TRABELSI – TUNISIA COACH
“We have other players who performed better than expected. I warm sure the whole team is very effective and hoping to have the entire squad fit for all our matches. For us, the city is very welcoming. We are very happy to have the warm welcoming of Moroccan fans. For us we consider all matches to be difficult, and we give them the respect required. Our goal is to improve with each match as we gain momentum”
“I must also comment the organisers because even while we played under heavy rains, the pitch remained in very good and playable conditions”
MOHAMED ELYES ACHOURI – TUNISIA
“Thank you to my teammates first of all for the great work they put in helping us get the victory. I also want to extend a big thank you to the supporters who came out in their numbers in this rain. We hope we made our supporters proud. We hope we made them proud and that they were rewarded for their faith in us in such cold and wet weather conditions”
Nigeria 2-1 Tanzania
Goalscorers : S. Ajayi 36', A.Lookman / C. M'Bombwa 50'
Nigeria opened their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 campaign with a hard-earned 2–1 victory over Tanzania on Tuesday evening, as Ademola Lookman struck the winner barely a minute after the Taifa Stars had drawn level.
The Super Eagles had controlled much of the first half and were rewarded nine minutes before the interval when Semi Ajayi rose highest to power home a header from an Alex Iwobi delivery. The corner had been won moments earlier after Tanzanian defender Bakari Mwamnyeto cleared Victor Osimhen’s close-range effort off the line.
That goal reflected Nigeria’s growing authority, with Osimhen, Lookman and Moses Simon stretching the Tanzanian back line through pace and movement. Despite that dominance, the Super Eagles were unable to extend their lead before the break and went into half-time just one goal ahead.
The second half exploded into life almost immediately. Nigeria thought they had doubled their advantage inside the opening minute when Osimhen backheeled into the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside following a VAR check.
Tanzania seized the momentum moments later. A perfectly weighted pass from Novatus Dismas split the defence, allowing Charles M’Mbowa to burst through and slide a composed finish past Stanley Nwabali to bring the scores level.
Any belief Tanzania had of building on that equaliser was short-lived. Within sixty seconds, Lookman produced a moment of class, curling an unstoppable effort from the edge of the area beyond the reach of the goalkeeper to restore Nigeria’s lead and silence the Tanzanian celebrations.
From there, Nigeria managed the contest with maturity, keeping possession and limiting clear chances. Tanzania pushed for a late equaliser and came close in the closing minutes when Ibrahim Hamad volleyed wide from a corner, but the Super Eagles held firm to see out the victory.
REACTIONS
Semi Ajayi - TotalEnergies Man of the Match : “It’s an amazing feeling to score for your country and in such a game it gives us the possibility of getting a good start. We had an amazing tournament in Cote D’Ivoire and we are using that as a standard. We are a team we don’t need to get goals onlyfrom the attackers and it’s pleasing to contribute to the success of the team. There are a lot of positives to take from the game and some things to fix and we will work on that to kill games going forward.”
Eric Chelle Nigeria coach: "We are satisfied with the three points. That is the most important. For the moment, I want to focus on the positives. The second part of the game shows clearly that there is still some work to be done — especially when it comes to killing the game. We are aware of this, and we will work on it.
Tanzania coach Miguel Ángel Gamondi: “I think Tanzania played better than many people expected. Nigeria had a lot of possession, but we neutralised them well through our tactical system. They did create chances, but most of them came from individual quality — which is not surprising. Overall, I believe we surprised a lot of people with the quality of our performance against Nigeria today.”
Senegal 3-0 Botswana
Goalscorers : N.Jackson 40', 58', C. Ndiaye 90'
Senegal made a powerful statement at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 as they swept aside Botswana 3–0 in Tangier on Tuesday, with Nicolas Jackson scoring in each half to underline their title credentials.
Despite Senegal’s early dominance, Botswana goalkeeper Goitseone Phoko produced a series of outstanding saves to keep the scoreline level through much of the first half.
The Zebras’ stopper denied Jackson twice at close range, reacted sharply to keep out efforts from Sadio Mané, and produced another fine intervention to stop Iliman Ndiaye as Senegal pressed relentlessly.
The breakthrough eventually arrived five minutes before the interval. Ismail Jakobs delivered a precise cross from the left, and Jackson met it first time with a composed finish that finally gave Senegal a deserved lead and eased any growing frustration.
The second half followed a similar pattern. Senegal continued to dictate the tempo and doubled their advantage in the 58th minute. This time, Ismaila Sarr was the provider, sliding a pass into Jackson’s path, and the striker showed good composure to finish clinically for his second of the night.
Two minutes from time, the Lions added a third. Cheikh Sabaly surged down the right and delivered a low cross that was swept home by Cherif Ndiaye, who had replaced Jackson moments earlier, to put the gloss on an emphatic opening-night display.
The victory hands Senegal a confident start to their AFCON campaign as they look to win the continental crown again, while Botswana will need to regroup quickly after being outplayed by one of the tournament favourites.
REACTIONS :
Nicholas Jackson - Senegal - TotalEnergies Man of the Match: "I am very happy to have started on this note by scoring two goals and hopefully it is the start of many goals to come. Most importantly we won the match and played well. It is an important victory but now it is behind us and we will move our focus to the next game."
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw: “We faced a very strong team, with a deep and compact defensive block. We could have scored more, but what stands out most is my team's commitment and discipline. What I take away from this match is the team's professionalism. The players followed instructions and got the job done.”
Botswana coach Morena Ramorewboli: "It was a very competitive match and dealing with the experienced Senegal players on the wings gave us a lot of problems as we struggled to cope with their pace. But we did very well to contain them in many areas especially knowing that they were seen as the favourites for the match. We will correct our mistakes in the game to ensure we improve in those areas before the next game."
DR Congo 1-0 Benin
Goalscorer: T.Bongonda 16'
Théo Bongonda’s first-half goal gave DR Congo a winning start to their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 campaign, as the Leopards edged Benin 1-0 at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat.
Coming into the tournament with confidence following their qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup play-offs, DR Congo quickly asserted themselves and looked sharp from the opening exchanges.
Their early dominance was rewarded in the 16th minute when Bongonda capitalised on a defensive misunderstanding to slot calmly past goalkeeper Saturnin Allagbé and open the scoring.
The Leopards continued to press after taking the lead, moving the ball with purpose and stretching a Benin side missing five suspended regular starters. Cédric Bakambu came close to doubling the advantage, forcing Allagbé into a strong one-on-one save, while another effort was ruled out for offside as DR Congo threatened to pull clear.
Benin, however, refused to fold. The Cheetahs sought to respond through quick counter-attacks and set-piece situations, attempting to disrupt the rhythm of their opponents. Despite their effort and organisation, they found clear chances hard to come by against a disciplined Congolese back line that dealt comfortably with aerial deliveries and second balls.
Benin pushed forward in the closing stages, showing determination and intent, but lacked the cutting edge needed to break through. DR Congo, by contrast, defended resolutely and saw out the match with maturity, ensuring a clean sheet and maximum points.
REACTIONS:
Theo Bongonda – DR Congo – Man of the Match: “It was a difficult match. Personally, I didn’t know Benin very well. When you look at this AFCON, no team wins easily. It’s true that we only scored one goal, but we took the three points. The most important thing is to keep moving forward and go as far as possible in this competition.”
Gernot Rohr – Benin coach: “We witnessed a very good football match that did not deserve to have a loser. My team made me proud. It was the first time we played with this system. We will now prepare well for the match against Botswana, with the advantage of having our suspended players back.”