Senegal beat Benin to claim AFCON group, as DR Congo set up Algeria tie

Senegal bushed Benin 3-0 to apical AFCON 2025 group, portion DR Congo bushed Botswana, mounting up a mouth-watering Algeria tie.

Senegal saw disconnected Benin connected Tuesday to spell done to the past 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations arsenic winners of Group D, leaving the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to settee for 2nd place, which means they volition play Algeria successful a heavyweight necktie successful the adjacent round.

Sadio Mane’s Senegal, the 2022 African champions, came into the last circular of radical games needing to bushed Benin successful Tangier, and anticipation their Congolese rivals person not managed to determination supra them connected extremity difference.

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Senegal ran retired 3-0 winners against Benin, with Abdoulaye Seck and Habib Diallo scoring earlier skipper Kalidou Koulibaly was sent disconnected successful the 2nd half. Cherif Ndiaye past added a precocious penalty.

The DRC bushed the already-eliminated Botswana 3-0 astatine the aforesaid clip successful Rabat, meaning the starring duo some finished with 7 points from 3 games, but Pape Thiaw’s Senegal topped the conception by a quality of 2 goals.

As a result, Senegal person a acold kinder way successful the knockout signifier and volition stay successful Tangier for a last-16 necktie connected Saturday against the third-place finisher successful Group E.

That volition beryllium either Burkina Faso oregon Sudan, who play each different successful Casablanca connected Wednesday.

The Leopards, successful contrast, indispensable play the 2019 champions Algeria successful the past 16 adjacent Tuesday, with the victor of that perchance having to look Nigeria successful the quarterfinals.

Benin’s 3 points, courtesy of a solitary 1-0 triumph implicit Botswana, are capable for them to spell done arsenic 1 of the champion third-placed teams.

It volition beryllium conscionable their 2nd quality successful the AFCON knockout stages, and their reward is simply a gathering with Mohamed Salah’s Egypt successful Agadir connected Monday.

Israel-based centre-back Seck headed Senegal into the pb from Krepin Diatta’s escaped footwear connected 38 minutes, and their 2nd extremity arrived conscionable aft the hour, erstwhile a superb cutback by Mane was turned successful by Diallo.

Skipper Koulibaly was past sent disconnected aft a yellowish paper was upgraded to reddish pursuing a VAR review, leaving the Lions of Teranga to play retired the last 19 minutes positive stoppage clip a antheral down.

Ndiaye’s 97th-minute punishment made it 3-0 and ended immoderate uncertainty astir Senegal’s last presumption successful the group.

Playmaker Gael Kakuta, erstwhile of Chelsea and present playing successful Turkiye, was successful outstanding signifier for the DRC against Botswana astatine Al Medina Stadium, arsenic his backmost bottommost acceptable up Nathanael Mbuku for the opener.

Kakuta past converted a punishment soon earlier half-time and got his 2nd and his team’s 3rd connected the hr people from Theo Bongonda’s assist.

Another extremity astatine that constituent could person near the DRC and Senegal with identical records and facing a imaginable drafting of tons to find their last radical positions.

The DRC thought they had it erstwhile Fiston Mayele enactment the shot successful the nett connected 64 minutes.