DR Congo and Senegal Shine in Opening Matches of AFCON

The Democratic Republic of Congo commenced their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over Benin at the Al Barid Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

With contributions from English Premier League stars Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, DR Congo broke the deadlock in the 16th minute. An assist from Masuaku allowed Theo Bongonda to find the back of the net, leaving Benin unable to recover from this early setback in the first half.

In a notable moment, a header from Cedric Bakambu was disallowed for offside following an extensive VAR review.

Benin recorded their first shot on target through Romaric Amoussou in the 65th minute.

Saturnin Allagbe, a key player in Benin’s historic quarter-final run in a previous AFCON, made a crucial save to deny Bakambu late in the match.

Due to issues with the referee’s communication equipment, an additional 10 minutes were added during the second half.

Following this match, the Leopards temporarily topped their group; however, this position may change after the conclusion of another match featuring former champions Senegal against Botswana.

In a separate Group D encounter, Senegal achieved a convincing 3-0 victory over Botswana, with Nicolas Jackson scoring twice. The Bayern Munich forward, currently on loan from Chelsea, opened the scoring just five minutes before halftime and extended the lead with his second goal in the 58th minute.

Cherif Ndiaye capped off the match with a third goal for Senegal in the closing moments, securing a dominant performance for the West African side.

This result marked a strong start to the tournament for Senegal, as Botswana made only their second appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Senegal’s victory pushed DR Congo from the top of the group standings, following the Leopards’ earlier win against Benin. Notably, this was the largest margin of victory seen in this edition of the tournament thus far.