Second matchday, and already a sense of judgment — with history added to the stakes.

Angola and Zimbabwe will contest the first-ever Africa Cup of Nations match to be played on Boxing Day when they meet on Friday at the Grand Stade de Marrakech, in what has quickly assumed the character of an early knockout encounter at the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.

Both sides arrive bruised by opening-day defeats and acutely aware that another setback could leave qualification hopes hanging by a thread. In a tightly balanced group where margins are minimal, the festive-date fixture carries uncommon weight for such an early stage of the competition.

Angola seek conversion, not revolution

From the Angolan camp, frustration rather than panic defines the mood. The Palancas Negras dominated long stretches of their opening match, created clear chances, yet walked away empty-handed — a disconnect between performance and result that still lingers.

Head coach Patrice Beaumelle has ruled out wholesale changes, opting instead for continuity and sharper execution.

“We faced a solid team and showed good things,” Beaumelle said. “At this level, mistakes are punished immediately.”
For Angola, the task is now to turn intention into efficiency, balancing urgency with composure as pressure inevitably rises.

Defensive leader Jonathan Buatu echoed that measured approach, stressing that confidence remains intact. “We played against a very good team, unbeaten for a long time. That shows our performance was not poor. Now the important thing is to keep what we did well and correct our mistakes,” he said.

Zimbabwe fight with backs to the wall

Zimbabwe approach the Boxing Day showdown with equal urgency, but also renewed belief. Cruelly beaten in the closing minutes of their opening match, the Warriors nonetheless displayed organisation, pace and intensity capable of unsettling opponents.

Head coach Marian Marinica insists the setback must not derail their identity. “In this group, all teams still have a chance. The past is behind us; we must look forward,” he said, acknowledging the emotional control required in a match where “one of the two teams will have to give way.”

Captain Marvelous Nakamba reinforced that message from within the squad. “We are training well, we have analysed our first match, and now everything is focused on this game. We want to give everything and get a positive result,” the midfielder said.

History and urgency collide

Beyond its Boxing Day novelty, the fixture carries a familiar competitive edge. Angola and Zimbabwe have met four times in AFCON qualifiers — in 1998 and 2013 — with Angola advancing on each occasion. They also crossed paths in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, winning their respective home matches before Angola ultimately secured a place at the finals in Germany.

Across their last four meetings, Angola hold the advantage with three wins to Zimbabwe’s one, though it was the Warriors who claimed the very first encounter in a 3–2 friendly victory back in 1985.

On a day traditionally reserved for celebration, there will be little room for comfort in Marrakech. For Angola and Zimbabwe, this historic Boxing Day clash is less about festivities — and more about survival.

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Second match, and already a defining examination for tournament hosts Morocco.

After a controlled 2–0 victory over Comoros in their opening fixture, the Atlas Lions return to action in Group A of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 knowing that a second successive win would all but secure passage to the knockout phase. Standing in their way is a Mali side under pressure to deliver, yet determined to stay faithful to its attacking identity in what promises to be a far sterner contest than rankings alone suggest.

Morocco head coach Walid Regragui made no attempt to soften the significance of the encounter, describing the clash with Mali as “the real start of the competition.” While pleased with his team’s composure and structure against Comoros, Regragui stressed that the context has now shifted.

“The first match is always complicated in the history of the AFCON,” he said at his pre-match press conference. “The second one is different. We are facing a team we know very well, and that knows us very well.”

As hosts, Morocco continue to embrace the weight of expectation that comes with home advantage. Regragui reiterated that the pressure associated with their status has been “assumed for months,” and there is no intention of retreating from it.

While acknowledging that possession was occasionally sterile in the first half of the opener, he defended the overall performance, pointing to control, patience and the ability to unlock a compact opponent. “At the highest level, football is also about solving problems during the match,” he explained, highlighting the squad’s mental strength and adaptability.

On the fitness front, Morocco’s concerns are minimal. Captain Romain Saïss remains sidelined by a minor muscle issue, while Achraf Hakimi is being carefully managed as he continues his progressive return. “We are preparing him for the whole tournament, not just one game,” Regragui emphasised. He also urged patience with emerging talents such as Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal, describing the young defender as “a real prospect” who should not be rushed.

From the Malian camp, the tone is one of respect without inferiority. Head coach Tom Saintfiet openly recognises Morocco as one of the continent’s strongest sides, but insists his team has the tools to compete.

The 1–1 draw with Zambia in their opening match, after long spells of control, brought frustration, yet it has not altered Mali’s approach. “We need points against Morocco,” Saintfiet admitted, while firmly rejecting any ultra-defensive mindset. Despite playing in front of a home crowd expected to exceed 60,000 spectators, Mali will not “park the bus.”

“We have good players, and we will play offensively,” he said, recalling a previous victory over Morocco achieved with limited possession but ruthless efficiency.

“The pressure is mainly on Morocco. They are seen as major favourites, they are playing at home and they have a very strong team. We are coming without any inferiority complex. All 28 players are ready to fight together.”

Midfielder Yves Bissouma echoed that focus, insisting that club-level issues have been set aside. “What matters today is Mali. The rest doesn’t interest me,” the Tottenham player said.

Despite Morocco’s status as favourites, Regragui remains wary. “Mali have always produced great players — that is part of their history,” he noted. “Whenever they play Morocco, you feel that extra motivation. It often pushes them to go beyond themselves, to run more and raise their level.”

The meeting also carries historical weight. This will be only the second time Morocco and Mali face each other in the final phase of the Africa Cup of Nations, following their semi-final encounter in 2004.

Played in Tunis, that match ended in a 4–0 victory for Morocco — still the biggest win in the country’s AFCON history and Mali’s heaviest defeat at the finals. Notably, Regragui himself started that match more than two decades ago.

On Friday night, with qualification within reach for one side and momentum at stake for the other, history, expectation and ambition converge — making Morocco versus Mali a true early marker of how far each team can go at AFCON 2025.

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By Kunle Solaja

• *Tunisia triggers Nigeria’s first Expulsion and Disqualification
• *From Walkouts to Knockouts
• *A Rivalry Forged in Controversy

Nigeria and Tunisia will renew one of African football’s oldest and most combustible rivalries on Saturday when they clash in Fez in their second Group C match of the Africa Cup of Nations.

With both teams winning their opening fixtures, the stakes are unmistakable: victory will secure a Round of 16 ticket ahead of the final group games scheduled for 29 December. For two traditional heavyweights, it is another chapter in a rivalry that stretches back more than six decades and has rarely lacked drama.

The two nations, long regarded as the top seeds in Group C, first crossed paths in 1961 and have since met across virtually every major stage of African football — from World Cup and AFCON qualifiers to group matches, knockout rounds, quarter-finals and even losers’ finals. Few continental rivalries can match the breadth, intensity and historical weight of Nigeria versus Tunisia.

Certain dates have acquired symbolic resonance. January 23, in particular, remains etched in the collective memory of both camps. On that date in 2000, Nigeria overwhelmed Tunisia 4–2 in the opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria.

 Twenty-two years later, Tunisia exacted revenge on the same day, eliminating Nigeria 1–0 in Garoua during the 2021 AFCON, which was eventually played in 2022.

Beyond goals and results, the rivalry has been shaped by controversy. Remarkably, both teams have staged walkouts against each other in competitive fixtures — incidents that remain among the most extraordinary in AFCON history.

Nigeria’s first walkout came during an Africa Cup qualifier against Tunisia on 10 December 1961 in Tunis.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) subsequently awarded the match to Tunisia. Years later, Tunisia responded in kind during the third-place match at the 1978 AFCON, walking out after Baba Otu Mohammed scored an equaliser for Nigeria to make it 1–1. CAF awarded that match to Nigeria.

The rivalry also occupies a unique place in Nigerian football history for less flattering reasons. Sports Village Square recalls that Nigeria’s first-ever player expulsion in an international match occurred against Tunisia. It was also in Tunisia that Nigeria suffered its first disqualification from a major competition.

These events trace back to the early 1960s, when both nations were making their first forays into continental football. During the qualifiers for the 1962 Africa Cup of Nations — the maiden AFCON entry for both teams — Nigeria defeated Ghana and advanced to face Tunisia for a place in the finals.

Nigeria won the first leg 2–1 in Lagos. In the return match in Tunis on 10 December 1961, the Green Eagles led 2–1 again after goals from Chukwumah Egwuonu and Patrick Noquapor. However, the match descended into chaos.

Before halftime, Egyptian referee Mohammed Hassan Helim sent off Nigerian full-back Alfred Achebe, who thus became the first Nigerian player expelled in an international match. In the 65th minute, Tunisia scored a controversial equaliser.

 Nigerian players protested vehemently, alleging that Ridha Roubi had handled the ball in the penalty area before the referee ordered a drop ball that Chetali converted to make it 2–2, still leaving Nigeria ahead 4–3 on aggregate.

At the prompting of team officials, the Nigerian players staged a walkout, despite the objections of their Hungarian coach, George Varda. CAF later awarded the match 2–0 to Tunisia.

Nigeria’s football authorities, then operating as the NFA, protested with CAF, hoping for a reversal. Instead, the protest deepened the fallout.

When the matter was discussed at a CAF executive meeting in Ethiopia on 13 January 1962, it was referred to an extraordinary general assembly held three days later.

 CAF took exception to the tone of the Nigerian letter, noting that some of its wording — including references to “segregation” — was unacceptable under international football regulations.

More than 60 years later, the scars of history remain, even as generations of players change. When Nigeria and Tunisia step onto the pitch in Fez on Saturday, they will not just be chasing qualification. They will be revisiting a rivalry forged in controversy, pride, revenge and unforgettable moments — one that continues to define African football’s rich and often turbulent past.

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