AFCON 2025: Benin ends 15-game winless streak with a narrow victory over Botswana

Gernot Rohr's Benin secured their first win of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, grinding out a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Botswana in their Group D encounter at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah Olympique Annexe in Rabat.

Both teams entered the match desperate for a positive result. Benin had started their tournament with a loss to DR Congo and were looking to end a dismal 15-game winless run at the AFCON finals.

Botswana was also under pressure after suffering a heavy 3-0 defeat to Senegal in their opening fixture, which marked their fourth consecutive loss in the competition. This was the first-ever meeting between the two nations at the finals.

Botswana carved out the first significant opportunity of the match in the 20th minute.

Tumisang Orebonye found himself in a promising position inside the box, but his low shot was well-saved by Benin's goalkeeper, Marcel Dandjinou.

The missed chance proved to be a turning point just eight minutes later when Steve Mounié played a clever through ball that split the Botswana defence, and Roche was the first to react, slotting the ball home from the edge of the area to give Benin the lead.

The Zebras came agonizingly close to an equalizer just before halftime. Johnson's superbly struck free-kick sailed over the wall but rattled the crossbar, leaving Dandjinou helpless. Despite this scare, Benin appeared to be the more threatening side, consistently forcing Botswana onto the back foot.

The second half was a scrappy affair, marked by frequent fouls and interruptions.

Benin, however, remained the more composed team in possession. They nearly doubled their lead in the 65th minute when Tamimou Ouorou latched onto a rebound inside the penalty area, but he failed to hit the target with the goalkeeper out of position.

Botswana struggled to create any sustained attacking pressure and spent much of the half defending deep inside their own territory.

Benin's defence held firm against late pressure from Botswana, effectively neutralizing any threats and limiting their opponents to speculative efforts.

They successfully saw out the game to claim a long-overdue victory, reigniting their hopes of advancing from the group stage.

Benin will face group leaders Senegal on December 30, while Botswana's fading qualification hopes will be on the line when they take on DR Congo in their final group match.