On the first day of qualifying for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025, Morocco, Egypt and Ivory Coast made their mark by winning resounding victories on Friday evening.
Morocco overcame Gabon, Egypt triumphed against Cape Verde, while defending champions Ivory Coast began their tournament with a victory against Zambia.
Elsewhere, Senegal were held to a draw by Burkina Faso, and Mali shared the points with Mozambique.
Morocco 4-1 Gabon
Goals: H. Ziyech (10′ pen, 25′ pen), B. Diaz (59′), A. Kaabi (82′) for Morocco / P. Aubameyang (45+1′ pen) for Gabon.
The duel between Morocco and Gabon was marked by an extraordinary first half, with four penalties, three of which were converted. Hakim Ziyech opened the scoring in the 10th minute from the penalty spot after Abde Ezzalzouli was touched in the box. Gabon had the chance to equalize in the 16th minute thanks to a penalty awarded to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after a handball by Abdelkabir Abqar, but his shot hit the post. Shortly after, Ziyech scored a second goal for Morocco from the penalty spot after a foul on Sofiane Rahimi. Gabon were awarded a second penalty just before half-time, which Aubameyang managed to convert, reducing the gap to 2-1.
In the second half, Morocco dominated the match, with Brahim Diaz scoring his first goal for the national team in the 59th minute, followed by substitute Ayoub Kaabi who scored the fourth goal in the 82nd minute, securing a clear 4-1 victory for the Atlas Lions.
Egypt 3-0 Cape Verde
Goals : R. Rabia (22′), M. Marmoush (45+1′), I. Adel (70′).
Egypt started their campaign with a 3-0 win over Cape Verde. Rami Rabia opened the scoring with a header in the 22nd minute following a corner. Just before half-time, Mostafa Marmoush doubled the Pharaohs’ advantage after a counter-attack, finishing calmly past the Cape Verdean goalkeeper. Substitute Ibrahim Adel secured the victory in the 70th minute by scoring after a rebound from the goalkeeper’s save.
Ivory Coast 2-0 Zambia
Goals: J. Krasso (73′, 84′).
Côte d’Ivoire got their title defence off to a flying start with a 2-0 win over Zambia. After a goalless first half, Jean-Philippe Krasso opened the scoring in the 73rd minute before adding a second goal 11 minutes later to secure the three points for the defending champions. The result provides a solid foundation for the Ivorians as they aim to retain their AFCON title.
Senegal 1-1 Burkina Faso
Goals: S. Mané (16′) for Senegal / O. Bouda (90+5′) for Burkina Faso.
In a thrilling match that ended in a 1-1 draw, Senegal were denied victory by a late equaliser from Burkina Faso. Sadio Mane had opened the scoring for the Lions of Teranga in the 16th minute with a fine finish, but Ousseni Bouda equalised in the last minute of the match, earning his team a point.
Mali 1-1 Mozambique
Goals: G. Catamo (37′) for Mozambique / Y. Bissouma (52′) for Mali.
Mozambique managed to secure a 1-1 draw against Mali. Geny Catamo scored for the visitors in the 37th minute, putting Mali in trouble. However, in the second half, Mali captain Yves Bissouma responded by equalising in the 52nd minute, allowing both teams to leave with a point each in the hard-fought match.
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