Cote d’Ivoire reinforced their dominance in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 qualifiers with a commanding 4-1 victory over Sierra Leone on Friday.
The Elephants, who entered the match with two wins from two, took an early lead through Nicolas Pépé in the second minute at the Laurent Pokou Stadium.
However, Sierra Leone responded before half-time with a goal from Alhassan Koroma to level the match.
The Ivorians regained control in the second half when Franck Kessié restored their lead with a 51st-minute strike, assisted by Séko Fofana.
Kessié doubled his tally in the 75th minute before Oumar Diakité sealed the win with a late penalty, keeping Côte d’Ivoire on top of Group G with maximum nine points.
The victory brings them one step closer to qualification for the tournament in Morocco.
Comoros shock Tunisia with first win
Comoros pulled off a stunning upset with a 1-0 victory over Tunisia in their AFCON qualifier at the Rades Olympic Stadium.
Tunisia, who had won their first two matches, were expected to secure an easy win but struggled to break down Comoros’ solid defence.
Despite enjoying over 70% possession and multiple shots on goal, Tunisia couldn’t find the net.
The decisive moment came in the 63rd minute when Rafiki Said scored for Comoros with a right-footed strike.
The goal handed Tunisia their first home defeat in over a decade during an AFCON qualifying campaign, while Comoros recorded their first win of the qualifiers.
Senegal cruise past 10-man Malawi
Senegal comfortably beat Malawi 4-0 in a match that saw Brighton Munthali sent off for a foul on Sadio Mané in the 16th minute.
Pape Guèye opened the scoring for Senegal in the 35th minute with a powerful shot from outside the box, and the Lions never looked back.
Sadio Mané added his 45th goal for Senegal in the 69th minute, followed by a quickfire goal from Boulaya Dia two minutes later.
Nicolas Jackson rounded off the scoring in the 77th minute, netting his first goal for the national team after 17 caps.
Mali scrape past Guinea-Bissau
Mali secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau, with El Bilal Touré scoring the only goal in the 62nd minute.
The Eagles struggled to break down their opponents, but the result keeps them in strong contention in their qualifying group.
Angola defeat Niger to strengthen AFCON hopes
Angola secured a 2-0 win over Niger, with both goals coming in the second half.
Mabululu converted a penalty in the 75th minute, and Milson added a second goal ten minutes later to seal the victory.
Despite Niger’s efforts, they were unable to threaten Angola’s defence, leaving Angola in a strong position in their qualifying group.