AFCON 2025: Gharbi sends Tunisia through, Jackson rested as Senegal top group

Ismaël Gharbi scored his first goal of the African Cup of Nations, while Samuel Essende made his tournament debut.

The African Cup of Nations continued on Tuesday as two more groups concluded with four games. Senegal finished top of Group D ahead of DR Congo on goal difference, while Nigeria became the first nation to have a perfect record in the group stage.

The three-time winners couldn’t qualify for the World Cup, but they maintained their winning streak in the continental stage with a 3-1 win over Uganda, who had to use all three goalkeepers in the game due to an injury and a red card.

Fellow East African side Tanzania are yet to win an AFCON game, but they qualified for the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams after a 1-1 draw with Tunisia. Elias Saad missed the game due to an injury, but his Augsburg teammate Ismaël Gharbi scored Tunisia’s goal from a penalty-kick. Ellyes Skhiri played the entire 90 minutes once again.

In Group D, both Senegal and DR Congo recorded 3-0 victories over Benin and Botswana, respectively. Samuel Essende made his AFCON debut fifteen minutes before time by replacing the sensational Gaël Kakuta, who scored twice after assisting DR Congo’s first goal with a cheeky backheel.

However, they had to settle for a runner-up spot, which means that they will face Algeria in the Round of 16, as Senegal finished with a better goal difference. Nicolas Jackson was rested in Senegal’s win over Benin. The group stage of the tournament will be concluded with four more games on the last day of the year.