Name: AFCON 2025: Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso make strong starts
Uploaded: 2025-12-25T13:15:42.205Z
Duration: 3 min
Description: Matchday One of AFCON 2025 wrapped up last night in Morocco, with all 24 teams having now played their opening game.

Matchday One of AFCON 2025 wrapped up last night in Morocco, with all 24 teams having now played their opening game.

Rabat

AFCON 2025 began in Morocco with all 24 participating teams playing their opening matches across several cities. Burkina Faso achieved a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Equatorial Guinea, while Algeria defeated Sudan 3-0 in front of over 16,000 spectators. In Group F, Côte d’Ivoire secured a narrow 1-0 victory against Mozambique, and Cameroon held off Gabon with a 1-0 win after scoring early.

The tournament's opening day was marked by lively celebrations in stadiums and fan zones, with Moroccan music and festivities creating a vibrant atmosphere. Attention now shifts to the upcoming second match day as teams look to build on their initial performances.

AFCON 2025: Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso make strong starts

Fly for the passion of football. I'm in Morocco as yesterday, match day one of AFCON 2025 came to a close with all 24 teams having played their opening game. Four matches were on the schedule across groups E and F. In a dramatic group E opener, Agola's first half gave way to late twists and turns. Equatorial Guinea briefly led before Burkina Faso struck twice in stoppage time through Giorgio Menongo and Edmond Tapsoba to seal a remarkable 2-1 comeback. With the stands packed and more than 16,000 spectators in attendance, the vast majority passionate Algerian supporters, Riyad Meher scored twice as the FNECs opened their campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Sudan. It's a good game, good start for us and inshallah we're going to win many games. It was a bit tough, obviously giving a red card at the start doesn't help and of course with the quality that Algeria has it makes the game really tough of course but I think we got a bit unlucky with the chances that we had. Burkina Faso's dramatic late win combined with Algeria's comfortable victory has now set up an intriguing clash between the two sides on Sunday. Attention turned to group F with two more matches across Morocco in Marrakesh, the Red City. Holders Cote d'Ivoire face Mozambique. Cote d'Ivoire struggled to break down a resilient Mozambican defence but their patience paid off shortly after the restart when Ahmed Diallo scored the only goal to secure a narrow 1-0 victory. Cameroon struck early through Etta Ayong and then had to defend strongly as Gabon pushed for an equalizer. Despite several chances, the Panthers were unable to break through and Cameroon held on for a narrow 1-0 win. And beyond the matches, the festivities continued. Across stadiums and fan zones, Moroccan music and festive rhythms filled the air with supporters dancing well into the celebrations, turning AFCON 2025 into a true football festival. From Casablanca to Rabat, Marrakesh to Agadir, match day one is complete and attention now turns to match day two. Stay tuned.

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