AFCON 2025 - Preview : Benin and Botswana playing for survival
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All original articlesBenin and Botswana will be playing for their lives in the second match day in Group D, knowing failure to win for either side could mean a leg out of the competition. Both teams were beaten in their group openers by DR Congo and Senegal respectively.
Narrowly beaten by the DR Congo (1-0) during the first day, the Cheetahs of Benin showed an encouraging face. Against the Leopards, Gernot Rohr’s men delivered a committed performance, but paid dearly.
Against Botswana, Benin approaches this match as a real final. On paper, the opponent appears affordable, the Guépards are better ranked in the FIFA ranking and know that this meeting represents their best opportunity to take three points before a last perilous match against Senegal.
Botswana in search of a feat to stay alive
For their part, Botswana came out of a heavy defeat against Senegal (3-0), one of the big favourites of the tournament. Solid for nearly forty minutes, the Zebras finally gave in just before the break, when Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring. The second period confirmed the level gap between the two teams. This defeat extends a delicate series for the men of Morena Ramoreboli, now winless for eight games and without a clean sheet for seven matches.
The last of group D after the first day, the Botswanans approach this duel with the obligation to create a surprise so as not to see their Moroccan adventure stop prematurely. Back at the AFCON for the first time in thirteen years, and only for the second time in their history, the Zebras know what a poorly negotiated second match represents. The memory of the 6-1 defeat against Guinea in the 2012 edition is still fresh.
This clash between two teams in difficulty could weigh heavily in the hierarchy of group D. A victory would fully restart the winner in the race for the eighth place, while another defeat would seriously compromise any qualification ambition. In Rabat, Benin and Botswana no longer have the right to make mistakes. More than just a group match, it’s already a battle for survival in this competition.