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Ed Dove
Four former champions in Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia and the Democratic Republic of Congo – all of whom harbour title ambitions this time around – began their Africa Cup of Nations campaigns with victories on Tuesday, although Benin were left ruing a malfunctioning VAR that may have cost them a draw.
AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS STANDINGS 2025-26
In Tangier, Senegal gave an early statement of their title credentials as a Nicolas Jackson double saw them sail past Botswana, the lowest ranked team in the competition, 3-0.
The Bayern Munich man finished smartly in the 40th minute after Ismail Jakobs’ cutback and then added a brace with another calm finish beyond Goitseone Phoko before the hour mark. Cherif Ndiaye added a third at the death.
Jackson, Sadio Mane and Iliman Ndiaye could all have broken the deadlock for Senegal earlier during a rampant first half showing by the 2021 champions, with the overworked Phoko requiring to be on hand to make several key stops.
“We could have scored more,” reflected Senegal coach Pape Thiaw, “but what stands out is my team’s commitment and discipline.
“What I take away from the match is the team’s professionalism, they followed instructions and got the job done.”
It takes them up to top spot in Group D ahead of their meeting with the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday, although the latter also affirmed why they are being considered one of the tournament dark horses with a 1-0 victory over Benin in Rabat.
Theo Bongonda‘s early goal proved the difference-maker between the two sides, with the Spartak Moscow winger beating Saturnin Allagbe with a calm finish after reacting quickest to a defensive miscalculation by defender Yohan Roche.
However, there was no shortage of controversy in the fixture, with Benin left seething after a handball by DRC skipper Chancel Mbemba was missed in the box, with officials later acknowledging they had not been able to check the incident due to VAR malfunctioning.
It was not entirely clear on replay whether the ball made contact with the veteran defender’s shoulder or arm, but while South African referee Abongile Tom jogged over to the pitch side monitor to examine the footage, he was unable to view any images as the VAR system broke down.
The official had earlier used VAR to rule out a header by DR Congo forward Cedric Bakambu following an extended review.
It’s an error that leaves Benin with a brooding sense of injustice and they’ll be determined to make amends when they face Botswana at Rabat’s Olympic Stadium this weekend.
“We witnessed a very good football match that did not deserve to have a loser,” Benin head coach Gernot Rohr told journalists. “My team made me proud.
“We now prepare well for the match against Botswana, with the advantage of having our suspended players back.”
Over in Group C, Nigeria began their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Tanzania in rainy Fes, although the Super Eagles didn’t have things entirely their own way despite dominating the early stages of the contest.
With goalkeeper Zuberi ‘Foba’ Masudi in inspired form, and Samuel Chukwueze and Victor Osimhen spurning chances aplenty, it fell to Man of the Match Semi Ajayi to break the deadlock when he rose unmarked to head an Alex Iwobi cross into the corner of the Tanzanian net.
Osimhen thought he’d added a second moments after the break, only for VAR to rule him offside by the tightest of margins, and Nigeria were stunned moments later when Kokola M’Mombwa broke the Eagles’ offside trap to finish beyond Stanley Nwabali.
Tanzania’s hopes of holding onto a draw lasted a mere two minutes: Ademola Lookman swivelled on the edge of their box and lashed home powerfully beyond Masudi to take back the lead, and with it the three points.
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Adams: Osimhen and I will only get better for Nigeria
Akor Adam’s discusses his partnership with Victor Osimhen after Nigeria’s 2-1 Victory over Tanzania.
“We’re happy, and the most important thing at the AFCON is to improve in every game,” Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle told ESPN. “So now, after the analysis we’ll do tonight or tomorrow, we’ll continue to improve.
“We have to improve defensively, of course, put in more movement when we don’t have the ball, and when we have it. I congratulate my players, but we have a lot of work.”
Next up for the Nigeria are Tunisia, who began their tournament in style by easing past Uganda 3-1 in Rabat.
Ellyes Skhiri opened the scoring for Tunisia after ten minutes amidst some testing weather conditions in the Moroccan capital, before goals from Elias Achouri either side of halftime made sure of victory.
Denis Omedi pulled one back for Uganda in the second minute of stoppage time, although both Uganda and Tanzania will know – ahead of their December 27 meeting in Rabat – that victory in that game week two fixture will likely decide whether their tournament will extend beyond the group stage.
“We showed them too much respect,” Uganda head coach Paul Put bemoaned after the match. “This is a bad start. I think we weren’t aggressive enough, but you’re playing at the AFCON, you need to win your duels.
“We know what we need to do in our next game,” he added. “We’ll be playing under pressure, a draw will not be enough, but I do believe that we can bounce back.”
What’s coming up on Day Four?
Cameroon versus Gabon is the standout fixture on Wednesday, with the two Central African neighbours set to meet in Agadir following the earlier Group F clash between reigning champions Ivory Coast and Mozambique in Marrakesh.
Algeria and Sudan meet in Rabat in Group E, while Burkina Faso will take on Equatorial Guinea in Casablanca in the day’s early kickoff.
