The Democratic Republic of the Congo continued their positive momentum from the World Cup with a 2-0 home victory over Equatorial Guinea to start their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. Captain Chancel Mbemba opened the scoring with a header in the fourth minute, and Yoane Wissa sealed the win in Kinshasa on Thursday, adding a second goal 18 minutes from time.
Despite controlling much of the match and hitting the woodwork twice, with two other efforts disallowed for offside, the result was considered comfortable for the hosts. The victory came after DR Congo made history by advancing through the first phase of the World Cup for the first time, where they pushed England close in their Round of 32 match in Atlanta this past July.
However, the festive atmosphere was dampened as the Stade des Martyrs crowd was capped at 20,000 spectators. This restriction stems from sanctions imposed due to fan violence during the World Cup qualifiers against Senegal a year ago, preventing supporters from fully celebrating their recent achievements.
In other Group C action, Ivory Coast defeated arch-rivals Ghana 2-0 in Bouake. Malick Yalcouye broke the deadlock with a powerful long-range strike in the first half, while Franck Kessie converted a second-half penalty after sending the Ghana goalkeeper the wrong way.
Ghana, who failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON edition, struggled significantly, registering only their first shot on target in the 75th minute. They also surrendered 61 percent of possession to the hosts. Meanwhile, Libya drew 2-2 with Botswana in Tripoli behind closed doors due to a stadium ban related to previous fan disturbances. Botswana’s Tumisang Orebonye scored twice in the first half, but Maruwan Alhibeeshi pulled one back late on, and Ezoo El Mariamy equalized from a stoppage-time penalty conceded by substitute Mothusi Cooper.
Elsewhere, Mauritania triumphed 3-1 over the Central African Republic in Casablanca, featuring a notable chipped goal from Dawda Camara. Namibia secured a narrow win against Congo thanks to a single goal from Bethuel Muzeu. Cameroon beat Comoros 3-1, and Tunisia shared the points in a 1-1 draw with Uganda.
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