Senegal is not one to stumble at the starting line of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Since missing the 2013 edition and returning to the continental competition in the next one, the Teranga Lions have always won their opening match of the tournament. They achieved it again without breaking a sweat on Tuesday, December 23, against Botswana (3-0) at the Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier, Morocco.
The team of Pape Thiaw, who will be France’s first opponent at the 2026 World Cup, could have won by a much larger margin if not for the twelve saves made by Goitseone Phoko, Botswana’s impressive goalkeeper. They had to “settle” for the three goals scored by Bayern Munich striker Nicolas Jackson (40′, 58′) and Cherif Ndiaye (90′). In this opening match, the Teranga Lions thus lived up to their status as heavy favorites, a status they share with Morocco, the host nation of this 35th edition of AFCON.
Having won the competition for the first time in 2021, Senegal is looking to bounce back after an early elimination in the round of 16 during the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast. To do this, the Senegalese national team, still led by Sadio Mané, can rely on a remarkably deep bench: substitutes Lamine Camara (Monaco) and Ibrahim Mbaye (PSG) came on in the second half.
DR Congo saved by a technical issue
Earlier, the first match of this third day of AFCON, also in Group D with Senegal, was won by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) against Benin (1-0) in Rabat. Struggling, the DRC benefited from a stroke of luck that befell their opponent: on the hour mark, match referee Abongile Tom could have awarded a penalty to Benin following a handball by Congolese captain Chancel Mbemba in his own box. However, the referee missed the foul, and the connection to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) malfunctioned at that precise moment.
Earlier, the South African referee had disallowed a goal for Cédric Bakambu and the DRC thanks to the intervention of a VAR that was, this time, operational. In the 74th minute, fifteen minutes after Chancel Mbemba’s handball, the referee signaled to the players that the technical link had been restored. “A handball in the box that should have been a penalty,” sighed Gernot Rohr, the Benin coach after the match. “I regret these technological problems… it’s a shame for such a big tournament.”
The match, which started in a nearly empty Al-Medina Stadium, finished in front of much fuller stands. As during the match between Egypt and Zimbabwe on Monday evening, free tickets had been distributed to people near the stadium to fill the seats. Fifteen minutes from the end, the announcer declared an attendance of 6,073 spectators in the Rabat venue… before correcting himself and announcing a figure of 13,073. Apart from the opening match between Morocco and the Comoros on Sunday night, the AFCON organizers are indeed struggling to fill the various stadiums at the start of the competition.
Elias Achouri brace for Tunisia
Two Group C matches also took place on Tuesday. Tunisia beat Uganda 3-1 in Rabat in their opening match. The Carthage Eagles, seeking a second African Cup title since their home triumph in 2004, clearly dominated the match against a Ugandan side making their return to the continental competition after missing the last two editions.
Sami Trabelsi’s men opened the scoring in the 10th minute, under heavy rain on the waterlogged pitch of the Moulay Abdellah Stadium: after a corner from the lively Hannibal Mejbri, Frankfurt midfielder Ellyes Skhiri found the Ugandan net with a fine header (1-0). Elias Achouri also struck half an hour later with a superb volley following an ultra-precise cross from Ali Abdi (2-0, 40′).
In the second half, after the rain had stopped, Achouri pounced on a loose ball in the box to complete his brace (3-0, 65′). Denis Omedi pulled one back for Uganda in added time (90+2).
Tunisia tops the group ahead of Nigeria, who earlier beat Tanzania 2-1. The two leaders will face each other on Saturday in Fez.