Football

Nigeria and Tunisia have secured their spots in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after crucial matches on Thursday. Nigeria's qualification was sealed by a late equalizer from Victor Osimhen, while Tunisia's victory came in a thrilling 3-2 win over Madagascar.Despite not playing on Thursday, South Africa, Gabon, and Uganda also qualified for the 24-nation tournament, which will be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025. Sudan's hopes of qualification were dashed by a surprising 4-0 loss to Niger, giving Ghana a glimmer of hope ahead of their must-win match in Angola on Friday.In Group D, Nigeria faced a tough challenge against Benin. Despite trailing for much of the match, Osimhen's equalizer nine minutes from time secured a 1-1 draw and qualification for Nigeria. Benin, Rwanda, and Libya will now battle for the second qualification spot.Tunisia's qualification from Group A was secured by a dramatic 3-2 victory over Madagascar. Ali al Abdi scored in the third minute of added time to give Tunisia the win, despite being reduced to 10 men. Comoros will qualify from the group if they defeat the Gambia on Friday.South Sudan's 3-2 victory over Congo Brazzaville ensured Uganda and South Africa's qualification from Group K. Congo's hopes were dashed when Bryan Passi was sent off, giving South Sudan the advantage to snatch victory.In Group F, Sudan's qualification hopes were shattered by a 4-0 loss to Niger. Ghana must now defeat Angola and Niger and hope Angola beats Sudan to qualify.Burkina Faso's unbeaten run in Group L ended with a 1-0 loss to Senegal. Habib Diarra scored the lone goal for Senegal.With 10 qualifiers scheduled for Friday, Botswana, Comoros, Mali, Mozambique, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe could secure their berths. Guinea could also qualify on Saturday if they beat the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania fails to win against Ethiopia.

Egypt, led by star forward Mohamed Salah, cruised to a dominant 4-0 victory over Botswana in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match. Salah opened the scoring for the Pharaohs, who extended their lead to 2-0 at halftime thanks to another goal from Mahmoud Hassan (Trezeguet). Salah added to his tally in the second half, tapping in a cross that evaded the Botswana defense. Mostafa Fathy sealed the rout in added time, giving Egypt a maximum six points from their opening two matches.Other African powerhouses had mixed fortunes. South Africa snatched a dramatic 3-2 win in South Sudan, with substitute Thalente Mbatha scoring the decisive goal in the 95th minute. Nigeria, however, were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw in Rwanda, despite the efforts of Ademola Lookman.In Group G, defending champions Ivory Coast defeated Chad 2-0, with Jean-Philippe Krasso opening the scoring. East Africa celebrated victories, with Kenya beating Namibia 2-1 and Tanzania edging Guinea 2-1.Travel difficulties hampered Botswana's preparations, as they arrived in Francistown from Mauritania just seven hours before facing Egypt. Despite the challenges, Botswana goalkeeper Goitseone Phoko made several impressive saves, but could not prevent the Pharaohs from securing a comfortable victory.Rwanda goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari was the star of the show in Kigali, denying Nigeria's attacking threats, including Lookman. The Super Eagles remain in contention for qualification, but will need to improve their performance in their upcoming matches.South Africa's Mbatha has emerged as a key player for his country, scoring crucial goals in both of their qualifying matches. The Bright Stars of South Sudan showed resilience, but ultimately fell short against a more experienced South African side.Kenya's victory over Namibia puts them top of Group J, while Tanzania's win over Guinea keeps them in contention in Group H. The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign is set to continue in October, with several key matches on the horizon.