CK Updates
LIVE: AFCON 2025 – 28 December 2025 – 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
Sunday Dec 28, 2025. 23:14
Join AfricanFootball.com for LIVE updates from all 52 matches of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, as 24 teams battle for glory in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January.
Today’s matches:
14h30 – Gabon 2-3 Mozambique
17h00 – Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Sudan
19h30 – Algeria 1-0 Burkina Faso
22h00 – Cote d’Ivoire v Cameroon
Updates:
56’ – GOAL! Ivory Coast 1-1 Cameroon. The Indomitable Lions strike back and this game is on fire! Junior Tchamadeu tries an ambition shot from wide right in the penalty area and the ball deflects up off Ghislain Konan just enough to loop over the hand of Yahia Fofana!
51’ – GOAL! Ivory Coast 1-0 Cameroon. A sweeping Elephants attack is round off with a superb finish from Amad Diallo, who curls home a left-footed shot from just outside the penalty area!
50’ – Danny Namaso hits the crossbar with a shot that took a huge deflection off a defender! So close for Cameroon, and it’s end-to-end action in the second half.
48’ – Franck Kessie finds the back of the net for Ivory Coast, but the flag is up for offside. The midfielder turned a shot home from a knock-down by Vakoun Bayo.
46’ – Back underway in the second half. No changes from either team at the break.
45+2’ – Half time. Ivory Coast 0-0 Cameroon. Goalless at the break between the Elephants and the Indomitable Lions.
42’ – Amad Diallo plays a brilliant cross to pick out Vakoun Bayo, but the Elephants’ no.9 puts his header over the target.
38’ – Some hefty challenges coming from both teams now, with Amad Diallo chopping down Christian Kofane and earning a deserved yellow card.
28’ – Cameroon beginning to apply real attacking pressure, as they switch play from the middle to the flanks with speed and precision.
21’ – Inches away from the opening goal! Cameroon push forward down the right through Bryan Mbeumo, whose low cross is struck goalward by Christian Kofane, but the ball rattles the crossbar!
11’ – A great chance for Cameroon, with Darlin Yongwa meeting a cross from the right flank, but he fires wide of the mark.
7’ – The first chance of the game sees Amad Diallo whip a shot off target from the edge of the box. It’s been all Ivory Coast in the early minutes.
1’ – Kick-off. Ivory Coast 0-0 Cameroon. We are underway in Marrakesh. The Elephants wear all orange, while the Indomitable Lions are in a change strip of all black. The start of the match was preceded by a moment of silence in honour of former Ivory Coast coach Jean Louis Gasset.
The heavyweights last met in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in November 2021, with Cameroon winning 1-0 in Douala thanks to a strike fro Karl Toko Ekambi.
21h45 – Ivory Coast and Cameroon have met in 21 matches dating back as far as 1970, with the Elephants holding a narrow advantage of 10 wins compared to nine for the Indomitable Lions (with two games drawn).
21h40 – The teams are battling for top spot, having each claimed a win on Matchday 1. Victory for either will secure progression into the round of 16, while Ivory Coast have the added incentive that a win will guarantee first place with a game to spare.
Line-ups:
Ivory Coast: Y. Fofana, G. Doue, O. Kossounou, E. Ndicka, G. Konan, F. Kessie, S. Fofana, I. Sangare, Y. Diomande, V. Bayo, A. Diallo
Cameroon: D. Epassy, C. Malone Junior, S. Kotto, T. Nouhou, J. Tchamadeu, D. Namaso, C. Baleba, A. Avom, D. Yongwa, B. Mbeumo, C. Kofane
21h35 – The weekend’s action and Matchday 2 at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations wraps up with the Group F clash between heavyweight duo Ivory Coast and Cameroon at the Marrakesh Stadium.
Full-Time: Algeria 1-0 Burkina Faso. Riyad Mahrez’s first-half goal fires the Desert Foxes into the Round of 16, with a game to spare which is against Equatorial Guinea, which is scheduled for December 31. Burkina Faso will join Algeria in the knockout phase if they overcome Sudan on the same day.
87′ The pressure is mounting on the Desert Foxes. Lassina Traore’s header goes straight into the arms of the goalkeeper Luca Zidane.
80′ CLOSE! Georgi Minoungou’s well-taken shot beats keeper Luca Zidane, but the ball goes just over the crossbar. The Stallions are pushing for a late equalising goal.
76′ Burkina Faso are under siege here. A cross is played into box and it finds an unmarked Hicham Boudaoui, who sends his header well wide of the left post.
69′ Goalkeeper Herve Koffi produces an amazing save to deny Ibrahim Maza from close range. It could have been 2-0 to Algeria.
60′ Abdelkader Bedrane joins the action as a substitute, replacing Riyad Mahrez with the Deserts Foxes looking to double their lead.
54′ Burkina Faso are awarded a free-kick in a promising area, but it is cleared away as pressure mounts on North Africans.
46′ The second-half is underway as the Stallions look to fight back and level matters.
Half-Time: Algeria 1-0 Burkina Faso. The Desert Foxes are enjoying a narrow half-time lead thanks to in-form Mahrez’s third goal in two matches.
43′ CLOSE! Pierre Kabore hits the upright with a close-range header with goalkeeper Luca Zidane well-beaten. It is the closest the Stallions have come to scoring so far.
34′ Brace-hunting Mahrez unleashes a powerful shot from a free kick, but the ball is blocked by the defensive wall. The Desert Foxes are pushing for their second goal as we approach the half-time break.
23′ GOAL! Algeria 1-0 Burkina Faso. Captain Fantastic Riyad Mahrez makes no mistake from the spot-kick as he hits the back of the net. Make that three goals in two 2025 AFCON matches. It is also his 37th international goal, only Islam Slimani has more having netted 45 times for the Desert Foxes.
19′ Algeria are forced into making a change. The injured Jaouen Hadjam is replaced by Baghdad Bounedjah.
10′ Burkina Faso have been the better side so far with Gustavo Sangare going down in the Algeria box, but the referee showed him a him a yellow card for diving.
1′ The Group E clash between Algeria and Burkina Faso is underway.
Line-ups:
Algeria: Luca Zidane, Samir Chergui, Aïssa Mandi, Ramy Bensebaini, Jaouen Hadjam, Hichem Boudaoui, Ismaël Bennacer, Ibrahim Maza, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Riyad Mahrez, Mohamed Amoura
Burkina Faso: Herve Koffi, Arsene Kouassi, Edmond Tapsoba, Issoufou Dayo, Steeve Yago, Pierre Landry Kabore, Bertrand Traoré, Mohamed Zougrana, Ismahila Ouedraogo, Gustavo Sangare, Dango Ouattara
We turn our focus to Algeria v Burkina Faso
Full-Time: Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Sudan. The victory elevates the Falcons of Jediane to the third place as the Nzalang Nacional slip down to the fourth spot. Sudan and Equatorial Guinea will wrap up their Group E campaign with matches against Burkina Faso, and Algeria, respectively, on December 31.
79′ Emilio Nsue picks up the ball in space and unleashes a shot which goes inches wide of the left post as the Nzalang Nacional look to level matters.
74′ GOAL! Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Sudan. Unlucky Saul Coco scores an unfortunate own goal after deflecting the ball into his own net a few minutes after being introduced.
68′ Mohamed Eisa beats a defender and lets fly towards the middle of the goal, but goalkeeper Jesus Owono is well positioned to make a comfortable save.
54′ Jose Nabil has been a livewire for Equatorial Guinea since coming on at the start of the second-half. The speedy attacker has seen two powerful shots narrowly miss the target.
46′ The second-half is underway as Equatorial Guinea and Sudan search for the opening goal.
Half-Time: Equatorial Guinea 0-0 Sudan. No goals at the break following a first-half which saw the two teams create a few chances and players picking up injuries.
39′ Play finally resumes after a delay caused by goalkeeper Monged El Neel’s injury and it remains goalless.
28′ There are too many stop-starts due to injuries. Santiago Eneme is not able to continue due to his injury and will be replaced by fellow Equatoguinean player Josete Miranda.
19′ Pedro Obiang misses a rebound from close range as the Nzalang Nacional star’s effort floats narrowly over the crossbar.
10′ Equatorial Guinea are looking to play balls behind the Sudan defence, but the lanky Falcons of Jediane defenders have so far dealt well with the aerial balls.
1′ The Group E match is underway.
Equatorial Guinea vs Sudan starting line-ups:
Equatorial Guinea: J. Owono – M. Anieboh, E. Obiang, S. Coco, C. Akapo – O. Mascarell – S. Eneme, P. Obiang, J. Machin, I. Salvador – L. Zuniga.
Sudan: M. El Neel – M. Ereng, M. Karshom, W. Khidir – A. Omer Yagoub, A. Taifour, M. Abdel-Rahman – B. Khamis, A. Abdallah, M. Eisa.
Full-time: Mozambique hold on to jot down their first win at the Africa Cup of Nations in a 3-2 victory over Gabon at Stade Adrar in Group F.
91’ – Seven minutes added on between Gabon and Mozambique, Os Mambas hold a slender 3-2 lead as it stands.
90’ – Mozambique find the back of the net through a venomous shot by Catamo outside the area, however, the Os Mambas star’s was deflected off his teammate who was in an offside position.
86’ – Gabon with wind in their sails with Mozambique holding on to preserve their lead. The clock is beginning to tick down at Stade Adrar .
76’ – Goal! Aubameyang gets his name on the scoresheet once more via a tap in from a corner situation. As both sets of players scramble for the ball, the vastly experienced striker found himself in the right place at the right time.
75’ – Gabon have little to show for their efforts and often fall short at the final hurdle. Os Mambas now sitting deep as they kick into game management mode.
60’ – Mozambique in full control of the tie while Gabon battle to settle on the ball. As it stands, Os Mambas are on course to record their first ever win at the Africa Cup of Nations.
51’ – Goal! Mozambique score their third goal in transition following a bit of magic by Witi on the left flank. With Diogo Calila bombing forward, the right back slotted the ball home with a text book header inside the dangerzone.
46’ – We’re back with the second-half between Gabon and Mozambique in Agadir!
Half-time: Mozambique take a 2-1 lead into the break, while Gabon enjoyed a late flurry to end the half.
49’ Goal! Gabon draw one back during stoppage time of the first-half with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on hand to guide home a parried effort by the goalkeeper which came after a thunderous shot by Didier N’Dong from range.
41’ Goal! Mozambique double their advantage moments before the break as Geny Catamo converts the spot kick by sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.
38’ Penalty for Mozambique! Elias Pelembe rolls back the years to skip beyond Ecuele Manga, who brings him down in the area.
37’ Goal! Mozambique take the lead through Faizal Bangal following a corner kick. Os Mambas score after a sustained bit of a pressure as Bangal finds himself unmarked inside the area to guide the ball home with ease.
30’ Os Mambas tally up the goal scoring opportunities count with Edson Mexer on the end of wayward shots outside the area.
16’ Golden opportunity for Catamo as he races to the Gabon goal in a one-on-one scenario with the goalkeeper. However, the attacker is let down by a heavy final touch.
15’ Still goalless between Gabon and Mozambique with little to separate the two nations early on.
6’ Witi looks lively for Os Mambas, spots Elias Pelembe inside the box but is unable to find his attack partner. Gabon settles once again on the ball with Mozambique waiting to pounce in transition.
2’ Danger coming in from Gabon, first attack, first corner. Mozambique against the ropes as they defend the corner kick.
1’ We’re off at the Adrar Stadium between Gabon and Mozambique in Group F!
Gabon vs Mozambique starting line-ups:
Gabon: Mbaba, Ekomie, Lemina, Ecuele, Oyono, Kanga, N’Dong, Poko, Bouanga, Aubameyang, Babicka
Mozambique: Ernan, Calila, Mexer, Mandava, Langa, Guima, Amade, Catamo, Domingues, Witi, Bangal
Under the Good Friday Agreement – the 1998 peace accord that followed the conflict colloquially known as The Troubles – those born in Northern Ireland can hold both British and Irish passports.
A Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling in 2010 means players born anywhere on the island of Ireland are able to represent the Republic of Ireland regardless of whether they fulfil any other measure of eligibility, namely being born in the territory, having a biological mother, father, grandmother or grandfather born in the territory, or having lived there for an uninterrupted period of five years.
Players born in the Republic of Ireland, however, cannot represent Northern Ireland unless they are otherwise eligible.
“We exploit eligibility, the same as every other country does, down to the grandparent rule, but this is a rule which is obviously unique between ourselves and the FAI [Football Association of Ireland],” said O’Neill.
“I think everyone recognises it’s not particularly fair, but as I say, our focus is to make sure our pathway for our young players is as good as possible and that’s a pathway for boys from any part of the community.”
In May, FAI director of football John Martin said the organisation should at “the bare minimum” be sounding out eligible players.
“We know there are kids out there who want to play for Ireland who haven’t been approached in the past,” said Martin.
“That’s not right. It’s making sure we have a presence and we understand all the players available to us, and that they are being monitored and tracked.”
When asked whether the narrative around young players in or around his squad is tiresome to him, O’Neill said: “It would have been in the past, it’s not tiresome now.
“We have people who comment on this and talk about nationality and talk about identity and talk about all these different things, which are part of being born in Northern Ireland and growing up in Northern Ireland.
“But I think what we’re missing now is that we’re putting young players in a situation where they have to make a decision which is irreversible.”
CK Updates
F1 Q&A: Madring’s overtaking problem, virtual safety car operation and will there be any rookies in 2027?
The virtual safety car (VSC) definitely throws jeopardy into races, but it does not do virtually what the safety car does. Would it not be more balanced to have a minimum of at least one full lap? Yes, this would dampen the jeopardy effect but what happened to Lando Norris feels like a chance card in Monopoly. – Kyle
Lando Norris’ bad luck with the virtual safety car at the Spanish Grand Prix has certainly focused attention on the ways this can disrupt races.
The VSC has always had issues – it freezes a race rather than resets it, which can be a bit boring compared to an actual safety car – but it has the benefit of minimising disruption when a track hazard can be cleared relatively quickly.
It has long been an opportunity for someone to benefit over a rival, because making a pit stop under a VSC takes significantly less time than under racing conditions.
But usually this has been in cases where one team has changed or deployed its strategy with the express intention of waiting for a safety car or VSC (such as Norris himself in his maiden victory in Miami in 2024), and benefiting over a rival who has run a more conventional strategy.
That sort of thing is considered fair game. What happened to Norris – a driver lost a race win because his specific track positioning at the time of a VSC meant he alone was unable to pit under it – is, to the best anyone could remember on Sunday, unique.
The media are not privy to conversations in drivers’ briefings, and Norris in particular gets a bit sniffy when information from those meetings leaks out because they are meant to be a safe space where the drivers and FIA can share opinions without it becoming a controversy.
But it emerged after the race that this issue, as Norris put it, “has been spoken about many, many times”.
Whether Norris’ misfortune leads to a change, such as ensuring that a VSC is deployed for at least one whole lap, remains to be seen.
There is no easy answer, because within F1 it’s recognised that safety cars are part of the competitive jigsaw, and can be used to a team’s advantage. And the latest rules have been arrived at after various previous iterations that worked in different ways, such as shutting the pit lane for specific periods.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said: “Offering a personal opinion, I’m puzzled myself as to what’s right.
“Is it correct to give enough duration such that everyone will have been subject to the same track conditions? So, for instance, the virtual safety car lasts at least one full lap.
“Or you just keep it in the hands of the Gods, and sometimes you are lucky, sometimes you are not. I’m not sure.”
There is process for these sorts of discussions – they go to a sporting advisory committee for analysis, before being reviewed by the F1 Commission of teams, commercial rights holder F1 and governing body the FIA.
That won’t happen quickly – unless it is decided by F1 and the FIA that it is a desirable outcome to change the rules. Right now, the momentum for that does not appear to be there.
What are the prospects for rookies coming into Formula 1 next year? Many drivers are re-signing long contracts with their teams. Are there likely to be any new recruits? – Mia
The most likely place for a new driver to come into F1 next season is Haas, where Esteban Ocon’s position looks shaky.
The two main candidates there are Italy’s reigning Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli, who is part of McLaren’s driver development programme, and Brazilian Rafael Camara, who is second in F2 this year and part of the Ferrari driver academy.
Both have tested for Haas and are said to have impressed the team.
Haas will want a quick driver who brings money, and it’s not clear who the favourite is. Ryo Hirakawa, Haas’ reserve driver and a long-time protege of Haas’ technical partner Toyota, is also in the picture, but considered a less likely candidate.
Elsewhere, there is talk of Red Bull considering moving F2 championship leader Nikola Tsolov, who is Bulgarian, into their Racing Bulls team.
To do so, they would have to drop either Liam Lawson or Arvid Lindblad. It’s hard to see how it would be Lindblad, after such an impressive rookie campaign.
But Lawson has also been doing a good job this year, so it’s not a given.
At Cadillac, they have Indycar race-winner Colton Herta as reserve. They have been planning for Herta to be in F1 before too long – the idea behind him moving to Europe and doing Formula 2 this year was so he could learn the ropes on this side of the Atlantic and be as prepared as possible for graduation to F1.
But Herta has had a very difficult F2 campaign this year – his best result is a fifth place and he is 19th in the championship – so moving him up to F1 for 2027 would be a massive risk.
Ugo Ugochukwu, who won the Formula 3 title in Madrid on Sunday, is another American said to be of interest to Cadillac.
He had been part of the McLaren driver development programme for several years until they parted ways at the end of last season.
But even if Ugochukwu’s Cadillac links become formalised, next year is probably too early for him to make F1.
He’s also extremely tall – well over six foot and much taller even than Ocon, Alex Albon and George Russell, the current tallest drivers – so getting him into an F1 car would not be easy.
The other teams are pretty much locked down, although it’s still unknown whether Fernando Alonso is going to continue in F1 next year.
No side will relish coming up against Calvert-Lewin and this aggressive Leeds outfit at Elland Road this season.
In fact, only Arsenal (52), Manchester City (50), Manchester United (45) and Bournemouth (37) have won more Premier League points in 2026 than Leeds United (35), with the Whites suffering just a single defeat across their past 13 league matches.
Yet Newcastle‘s implosion was remarkable as a young team were bullied and outfought.
Newcastle had previously made a good start under head coach Matthias Jaissle, following so much change in the summer, and were unbeaten in their opening five games in all competitions before this reality check.
But they have faced more shots than any other side in the Premier League.
However clinical Newcastle were in the opening weeks of the campaign, they mustered just eight efforts on target against Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth before their trip to Elland Road.
That was a dangerous cocktail going into this game.
What was most galling, though, was the visitors’ failure to match Leeds‘ bite at a raucous Elland Road.
Jaissle’s side crumbled and conceded three goals in a chastening 14-minute period in the first half.
It was a night the German manager swore in his post-match news conference to illustrate how low he felt.
“I don’t want to point fingers and point any players out tonight,” he said. “We were not matching as a team the level of intensity, the level of duel behaviours, the level of physicality.
“This is something we need to bring on the pitch in every match. This is non-negotiable. It should be the basic fundamentals of football.
“These are young lads. The learning curve needs to be fast.”
For Calvert-Lewin and Leeds, however, this was a night to remember.
Northern Ireland: Eligibility rules ‘not particularly fair’ – Michael O’Neill
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Irish Premiership: Who will replace Declan Devine as Glentoran manager?
Leeds 4-1 Newcastle: Is ‘unplayable’ Calvert-Lewin in line for England recall?
F1 Q&A: Madring’s overtaking problem, virtual safety car operation and will there be any rookies in 2027?
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CK Updates19 hours agoIrish Premiership: Who will replace Declan Devine as Glentoran manager?
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CK Updates13 hours agoLeeds 4-1 Newcastle: Is ‘unplayable’ Calvert-Lewin in line for England recall?
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CK Updates7 hours agoF1 Q&A: Madring’s overtaking problem, virtual safety car operation and will there be any rookies in 2027?