African Football Discussion Thread Current Topic: 👉 AFCON 2025/2026

[Taricoins]

Mali and Tunisia are entering penalty shoot out now following Mali late equalizer.

Djigui Diarra will be the hero of the penalty shoot-out after the two saves he made in the penalty. He looks very small in size; I was surprised he was able to make two good saves. Mali should try to make sure they don't get in this sort of position again because they will not be this lucky in every game where they are in a similar position.  

This was the first penalty shootout of this African Cup of Nations; the two teams did not impress me very much.

So it is the end of the road for Tunisia; they will be disappointed that they allowed the game to go into extra time.

Mali really got lucky in this game. I dont know if they wasted their luck with this game but they really had too much luck. First they should have gotten more then one red card due to how they beated up the Tunisian players. I never seen so many hard hits especially on their winger. Plus that penalty in last minutes and everything else that happened in the penalty shoot out. For me Tunisia should have qualified but just couldnt hold out and its a shame honestly.

Not to spit on any team but honestly it's a shame that Tunisia actually lost hold of that lead so late in the game, it's still surprising that they lost to Mali, for a seasoned team like Tunisia, they are not suppose to be losing to Mali even with there complete squad talk more of a man down in the 26 minutes for Mali. This is the problem I always have with Tunisia, they always seem to prioritize safety over attack,  in a situation where your opponent's team is 1 man down, you capitalize on that by bringing in attackers, especially in the commencement of the second half, change your formation to a more attacking one and create more attacker options for the finishers, although they dominated possession but we won't be seeing them in the next round.

[Futurexxx]

Not to spit on any team but honestly it's a shame that Tunisia actually lost hold of that lead so late in the game, it's still surprising that they lost to Mali, for a seasoned team like Tunisia, they are not suppose to be losing to Mali even with there complete squad talk more of a man down in the 26 minutes for Mali. This is the problem I always have with Tunisia, they always seem to prioritize safety over attack,  in a situation where your opponent's team is 1 man down, you capitalize on that by bringing in attackers, especially in the commencement of the second half, change your formation to a more attacking one and create more attacker options for the finishers, although they dominated possession but we won't be seeing them in the next round.

The Tunisia team deserves to be knocked out of this year afcon because this their national team is full of shit, how bad have they become that they can't beat a Mali team that went a man down in the 26 minutes?

Without the red card I was expecting them to win this Mali side that have been very poor in attack, so as the Mali team got the red card, I was I like it's now even more easier, but it was a really big shame that throughout the 90 minutes added with 30 minutes extra time, they can't secure a victory against a Mali team that was not complete.
If they can't win games like this, then it shows that they don't deserve to go any further in the competition because they are not good enough to be in the quarter finals of the afcon.

[Wakate]

The Tunisia team deserves to be knocked out of this year afcon because this their national team is full of shit, how bad have they become that they can't beat a Mali team that went a man down in the 26 minutes?

Don't cry dude because their are some matches that can be very hard to predict the outcome especially when it comes to the AFCON which is full of bullshit from countries that their national teams are not ready to play for the qualifications they deserve.
I do not expected Tunisia to win the match and all I was expecting is to see a draw match between both countries.

[GiftedMAN]

Just saw this on Facebook and it reminded me of what our government used to do or say to our players whenever they do pass a particular stage in any competition, go out there and win and every player will have a good sum of money. I believe with the current situation of the country the government or president don't have that time to even glance through the games in this afcon.

I don't know the authentication of this news but I think African leaders need to stop doing this in our football, this is football and it's a game of sportsmanship, we know that passion is involved but trying to put an extra pressure on the players with monitory inducement removes the passion the game has, hardly have I seen any European leader do this, and Europe is where football giving special treatment. This is sports and anybody can take the day, the Spirit of sportsmanship allows for you to take the game in good fate whether you win or lose.

It's actually a legit news. The Mozambique president made that pledge to motivate the national team players so they can beat the Nigeria who happens to be one of the best teams in the tournament so far but I don't think he'll be fulfilling that pledge to the players because I don't see Mozambique beating the Super Eagles of Nigeria and progressing to the quarter finals of the competition.
Just like you said, this kind of pledge is mostly found among African countries especially from top government officials, I want to believe it's one of our traditional and passionate ways of motivating our teams and if you ask me, I don't see anything wrong with that.

[SatoPrincess]

I didn’t watch the game yesterday, my mind was on the Premier League, and from what I saw this morning, I’m glad I didn’t. Between the two teams, Mail and Tunisia, I expected Tunisia to be the better team. It’s disappointing that Tunisia couldn't make take advantage of the red card given to Mali. It was a poor performance from both sides, and I would say the less unfortunate team won.

[yenerbatmaz]

Mali's interesting statistic caught my attention. I don't know if anything like this has ever happened before, but so far Mali has reached the quarter-finals by drawing every game. Yesterday they eliminated Tunisia on penalties.

Their opponent in the quarter-finals will be Senegal. I don't expect Mali to win that match either. Senegal is highly likely to win, but Mali is a team with a good defense. The Senegal-Mali match is the one whose result I'm most curious about.

[Promocodeudo]

The Tunisia team deserves to be knocked out of this year afcon because this their national team is full of shit, how bad have they become that they can't beat a Mali team that went a man down in the 26 minutes?

You sound as if they are the only team that were unable to beat a team that was one man down in match since football started, although I understand that they are suppose to premise on that opportunity to get a wining in that match but they fail, hope your anger is not coming from your bet side, may be you had your bet on them I guess and because they couldn't give you what you wanted, that's by the way, football is full of some stuff that we don't expect sometimes, actually this team is not the Tinusia we know those days, sorry for your bet if that's the case.

[Mayor of ogba]

I didn’t watch the game yesterday, my mind was on the Premier League, and from what I saw this morning, I’m glad I didn’t. Between the two teams, Mail and Tunisia, I expected Tunisia to be the better team. It’s disappointing that Tunisia couldn't make take advantage of the red card given to Mali. It was a poor performance from both sides, and I would say the less unfortunate team won.

After Mali was given a red card ♦️ in the 26th minute, I thought Tunisia would take advantage of the red card and beat Mali at full time but they didn't, and even when Mali and Tunisia played extra time, Tunisia couldn't defeat Mali and proceed to the quarter final of the African Cup of Nations. Tunisia deserved to be knocked out because they couldn't seize the opportunity that was presented to them.

[Salahmu]

Just saw this on Facebook and it reminded me of what our government used to do or say to our players whenever they do pass a particular stage in any competition, go out there and win and every player will have a good sum of money. I believe with the current situation of the country the government or president don't have that time to even glance through the games in this afcon.

This is getting funnier, this is the second time against super eagles other countries is making promises to there team regarding what they would give them if they win super eagles, I remember someone posting about what a country also promise while super eagles was still ongoing on the world Cup and that match the super eagles did not win them, so this kind of promises is not good against super eagles, i was even conceding in my mind that any country super eagles is going to meet will be a country in the second position but Mozambique was neither first nor the second.

[DYOR+BTC]

Just saw this on Facebook and it reminded me of what our government used to do or say to our players whenever they do pass a particular stage in any competition, go out there and win and every player will have a good sum of money. I believe with the current situation of the country the government or president don't have that time to even glance through the games in this afcon.

This is getting funnier, this is the second time against super eagles other countries is making promises to there team regarding what they would give them if they win super eagles, I remember someone posting about what a country also promise while super eagles was still ongoing on the world Cup and that match the super eagles did not win them, so this kind of promises is not good against super eagles, i was even conceding in my mind that any country super eagles is going to meet will be a country in the second position but Mozambique was neither first nor the second.

So you think they won't win that price tomorrow, my brother please wake up from that sleep. The super eagles of Nigeria i know will never prove them wrong at last, the reason is what i can't tell. If they could throw away the hope of all in the world cup qualifies what else can't they do in times like this. The super eagles of Nigeria is supposed to be the best team in Africa considering the level of quality players they have in there squad, yet they never show any sign of consistency in serious moments all because of what know one can tell. So lets just watch and see because tomorrow they will do what they are known for which is to turn down the hope of all

[marcous]

After Mali was given a red card ♦️ in the 26th minute, I thought Tunisia would take advantage of the red card and beat Mali at full time but they didn't, and even when Mali and Tunisia played extra time, Tunisia couldn't defeat Mali and proceed to the quarter final of the African Cup of Nations. Tunisia deserved to be knocked out because they couldn't seize the opportunity that was presented to them.

Tunisia had utilized their numerical advantage to the best of their ability, they even took the lead in the 88th minute, they only had to keep the score to the end, but unfortunately they made a mistake when anticipating a set piece from Mali which led to a penalty kick.
And from this match it must be admitted that Mali struggle was truly extraordinary, they got up and managed to advance to the next round which will be met with Senegal.

[Abdulzuruku01]

Tunisia and Sudan were eliminated yesterday in the round of 16. Senegal defeated Sudan I actually expected this because Senegal has a stronger team than Sudan. But I was disappointed with Tunisia as they got eliminated by Mali because with the kind of game they played against Nigeria in the group stage Despite losing to Nigeria, Tunisia performance looked impressive, which gave me confidence that they would win over Mali. Honestly I didn't expect Tunisia to go to penalty kicks with Mali without getting the job done. But that's football. Congratulations to Mali and Senegal for advancing to the quarter-finals.

Today we have Morocco vs Tanzania, and South Africa vs Cameroon. For Morocco and Tanzania I'm predicting Morocco to win. I'm sure this match won't be as entertaining as the one between South Africa and Cameroon. this is a match to watch because it's going to be a challenging game for both countries. What is your prediction? Which team do you think will make it to the quarter finals today?

[Salahmu]

This is getting funnier, this is the second time against super eagles other countries is making promises to there team regarding what they would give them if they win super eagles, I remember someone posting about what a country also promise while super eagles was still ongoing on the world Cup and that match the super eagles did not win them, so this kind of promises is not good against super eagles, i was even conceding in my mind that any country super eagles is going to meet will be a country in the second position but Mozambique was neither first nor the second.

So you think they won't win that price tomorrow, my brother please wake up from that sleep. The super eagles of Nigeria i know will never prove them wrong at last, the reason is what i can't tell. If they could throw away the hope of all in the world cup qualifies what else can't they do in times like this. The super eagles of Nigeria is supposed to be the best team in Africa considering the level of quality players they have in there squad, yet they never show any sign of consistency in serious moments all because of what know one can tell. So lets just watch and see because tomorrow they will do what they are known for which is to turn down the hope of all

Have I been certain on super eagles victory?, I didn't speak of certainty but was only curious on what this could lead them, but however we are ready to accept defeat or victory against super eagles so if Mozambique won the price congratulations to them so that super eagles will not be watched anywhere till next league start again. Senegal is going to the quarter finals against Mali that won Tunisia, this Tunisia unqualified to quarter finals is the type the government of any country usually take it very upsetting because there was no excuse to the lost, but they thought there was a way in penalty shootout.

[Lida93]

It's actually a legit news. The Mozambique president made that pledge to motivate the national team players so they can beat the Nigeria who happens to be one of the best teams in the tournament so far but I don't think he'll be fulfilling that pledge to the players because I don't see Mozambique beating the Super Eagles of Nigeria and progressing to the quarter finals of the competition.
Just like you said, this kind of pledge is mostly found among African countries especially from top government officials, I want to believe it's one of our traditional and passionate ways of motivating our teams and if you ask me, I don't see anything wrong with that.

There's nothing which could be said to be wrong about what the Mozambique President has declared as reward to the country's national team players on their account of winning Nigeria, it's a common way of motivation to the players because ordinarily the President understands that Mozambique is no match to Nigeria but with an incentive promised to the players they can be motivated to do the unexpected should Nigeria make any mistakes.

[Agbe]

So you think they won't win that price tomorrow, my brother please wake up from that sleep. The super eagles of Nigeria i know will never prove them wrong at last, the reason is what i can't tell. If they could throw away the hope of all in the world cup qualifies what else can't they do in times like this. The super eagles of Nigeria is supposed to be the best team in Africa considering the level of quality players they have in there squad, yet they never show any sign of consistency in serious moments all because of what know one can tell. So lets just watch and see because tomorrow they will do what they are known for which is to turn down the hope of all

Well the world cup qualifiers is a different game with this current game and their performances are two different things entirely. My main concern in the Super Eagles in this tournament is their defense and the goalkeeper. I was expecting them to maintained the 3-0s but their opponents scored them mostly at the ending parts of the games and that shows that they are weak in the second half when game is ending and if their opponents understand that, and fire up in that minutes, Nigeria is out. Nigeria should not look down on this Mozambique players. I have seen Countries that were not good in the African Nations Cup did well. Tanzania now is playing head to head with Morocco right now. Morocco is also confirming the pressure from Tanzania Team. Morocco is dominating the game but there is no chanced for them to score.

South Africa game is an another strong game to watch.

[SatoPrincess]

Just saw this on Facebook and it reminded me of what our government used to do or say to our players whenever they do pass a particular stage in any competition, go out there and win and every player will have a good sum of money. I believe with the current situation of the country the government or president don't have that time to even glance through the games in this afcon.

It’s not uncommon for African teams to promise their players ridiculous amount of money for their performance. Nigeria does it so I’m not surprised that other African nations are doing same. It’s the only way the government supports football, they don’t spend money on infrastructure or developing local talents but are always open to giving huge bonuses to the national team.

[DiMarxist]

Senegal Won Sudan. Mali won Tunisia in penalty. And today Morocco won Tanzania.

Morocco scored the goal at the die minutes. Tanzania defense was good and the goalkeeper was good. Morocco was knocking at the door frequently to score but Tanzania defense blocked them. But finally scored from angle.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

Coming a bit late but I can't help but talk about the game between Mali and Tunisia which was played yesterday, I think this match is the first Afcon match I had the opportunity of sitting down to watch from the beginning of the match to the finish and I did say that was one hell of a tough game.

Tunisia played very well, far more better than their Mali counterparts but their only mistakes was failing to convert the several opportunities they had into goals, and allowing the game to into penalties when they should have known that the goalkeeper of their Mali counterparts were far better than the Tunisia goalkeeper.
I felt disappointed with the way this match ended because I was really rooting for Tunisia, they have really wonderful and talented players but unfortunately, they weren't as lucky as their Mali counterparts.
This is one of the toughest football match I've seen since this football season began.

[Rruchi man]

Morocco scored the goal at the die minutes. Tanzania defense was good and the goalkeeper was good. Morocco was knocking at the door frequently to score but Tanzania defense blocked them. But finally scored from angle.

It is not enough to just say they scored a goal, but did you see the goal? Did you see how well they played, like a world-class team with Hakimi back?

I think many people will see teams like Nigeria, Egypt, and Senegal as likely winners of this AFCON, but we should not write off the host.

South Africa is about to be sent home by Cameroon. Is anyone shocked by this result?

[Finebone]

It is not enough to just say they scored a goal, but did you see the goal? Did you see how well they played, like a world-class team with Hakimi back?

I sincerely wasn't expecting the Moroccan team to struggle against the Tanzania team because they are not just the host nations, but they are also the highest ranked African team, but they struggled to put this Tanzanian team away, and if they put in a performance like that against a stronger oppositions, they might be knockout.

South Africa is about to be sent home by Cameroon. Is anyone shocked by this result?

I am not surprised a bit because I have watched most of their games, their is nothing special about them, so if they are finally knockout by the cameroonian team, it wouldn't be a thing of surprise to me.