Mahrez scores a brace while Burkina Faso leave it late to secure a victory over Equatorial Guinea at the 2025 AFCON
AFCON has always been a tournament of surprises, drama, and tension and this year’s edition has been no exception.
The Stallions of Burkina Faso opened Group E against Equatorial Guinea in a game that was mostly dominated by the Burkinabes from start to finish.
The game also gave us the first red card of the ongoing 2025 AFCON tournament when Basilio Ndong’s initial yellow card was overturned and changed to red by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
After going down by a man, the Guineans sat deep with the idea of hitting the Stallions on the break.
A tactic that seemed to be working very well until Lassina Traore found the back of the net for Burkina Faso.
Equatorial Guinea scored soon after Lassina’s goal was cancelled by VAR for offside.
Marvi Anieboh’s headed from Carlos Akapo in the 85th minute to break the deadlock and give Equatorial Guinea the lead.
With just a few minutes left on the clock to end the game, Georgi Minoungou and Edmund Tapsoba scored in the 95th and 98th minutes to give Burkina Faso the lead and victory in their opening game of the tournament
The second match of the day saw Riyad Mahrez become the fastest scorer at the ongoing AFCON scorin in the 2nd minute to give Algeria the lead over Sudan.
Mahrez doubled Algeria’s lead in the 61st minute meeting a cross from Mohamed Amoura which came from the outside of his boot.
Ibrahim Maza came off the bench to get Algeria’s third and final goal of the game
Coach Akwasi Appiah’s campaign as the head coach of Sudan at the AFCON definitely didn’t go as planned as his side received a red card and also ended up losing 3-0 to the Fennec Foxes of Algeria
Ivory Coast started their title defense against Mozambique in Marrakech in a very cagey encounter.
The game saw the return of Wilfred Zaha back into the La Cote D’Ivoire team since October 2023.
The first half ended in a stalemate with Mozambique proving a hard nut to crack for the Ivorians.
Despite the attacking threats of Amad Diallo, Zaha, Diomande Yan and Franck Kessie, the Mozambique defense stood resolute and unshakable.
The tactical tweak from Coach Emerse Fae paid off in the second half as the Elephants moved the ball quicker and were swift in transition.
Manchester United’s Amad Diallo gave Ivory Coast the lead just 4 minutes in the second half as he tapped in from close range a cross from Captain Franck Kessie.
The clash of neighbors came with aggression, physicality, suspense and excitement as Cameroon took on Gabon.
Etta Eyong gave the Camerooneans an early lead in the 6th minute following a beautiful assist from Manchester United’s starman Bryan Mbeumo.
The Panthers of Gabon gave it their all as they chased for an equalizer but the Lions of Cameroon were simply indomitable and impenetrable.
Mario Lemina and Aubameyang were introduced in the second half to turn things around for Gabon but despite their tireless efforts Cameroon held on the their one goal to secure a slim victory over their neighbors in their 2025 AFCON opener.
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