Riyad Mahrez was back among the goals for Algeria on Sunday as they completed their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 5-1 home thrashing of Liberia on Sunday.

Mahrez had not scored for his country in his previous seven outings including their calamitous early exit from the last Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast at the start of the year.

But he contributed the second goal as Algeria fought back after conceding early to register an easy win and finish their Group E campaign with five wins and a draw for a runaway 16-point haul at the top of the standings.

They ended eight points ahead of Equatorial Guinea, who lost 3-0 to Togo at the same time but still qualify in second place.

The qualifiers for the 2025 finals, which Morocco is hosting from Dec. 21, 2025 to Jan. 18, 2026, will be completed on Monday and Tuesday.

There are five places up for grabs in the 24-team field with 19 countries already qualified for the tournament.

-Reuters

The final round of Group E matches in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifiers brought contrasting fortunes as Algeria dismantled Liberia 5-1 to end their campaign unbeaten, while Togo claimed a morale-boosting 3-0 win over Equatorial Guinea in Lomé on Sunday.

Algeria’s Dominance

Already assured of first place in Group E, Algeria showed no signs of complacency at the Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium.

The Fennecs, unbeaten in their last 19 AFCON qualifiers, extended their streak with a commanding display that further underscored their dominance.

Liberia stunned the home crowd early with a sixth-minute goal from Sampson Dweh, but Algeria responded swiftly.

Aïssa Mandi equalized in the 20th minute before Riyad Mahrez gave the hosts the lead with a deft header in the 29th minute.

The second half belonged entirely to Algeria, as Baghdad Bounedjah, Amine Gouiri, and Mohammed Amoura all found the net to complete the rout.

Gouiri’s goal—a sublime finish to the bottom left corner—stood out as one of the match’s highlights.

Algeria finished the group stage with 16 points, scoring 16 goals and conceding just two.

Their unbeaten run and defensive solidity further cement their status as one of the favorites heading into Morocco 2025.

Togo Salvages Pride

In Lomé, Togo ended their qualifying campaign with a resounding 3-0 victory over second-placed Equatorial Guinea.

Despite being eliminated from the tournament, the Sparrowhawks showed resilience, snapping a three-game losing streak in AFCON qualifiers.

Yaw Annor opened the scoring in the 14th minute, while Kevin Denkey doubled the lead early in the second half with a stunning long-range strike.

Annor capped off a brilliant individual performance with his second goal in the 87th minute.

For Equatorial Guinea, the defeat had no bearing on their qualification for AFCON 2025, as they had already secured their spot.

However, the loss ended their 10-game unbeaten run in qualifiers, exposing vulnerabilities that may require attention ahead of the tournament.

Group E Final Standings

• 1st: Algeria – 16 points (5 wins, 1 draw)
• 2nd: Equatorial Guinea – 8 points (2 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses)
• 3rd: Togo – 5 points (1 win, 2 draws, 3 losses)
• 4th: Liberia – 4 points (1 win, 1 draw, 4 losses)

Nigeria’s Super Eagles will go all out for victory against Rwanda on Monday, even with the leadership of Group D and a ticket to the 35^th Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco secured, says Head Coach Augustine Eguavoen.

 The three-time African champions are determined to sustain their recent form and spirit ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers that resume in four months, and Coach Augustine Eguavoen believes the absence of grieving goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, defender Olaoluwa Aina and in-form forward Ademola Lookman will not stop their momentum.

First-choice goalkeeper Nwabali has been excused from camp to visit family and relations following the demise of his father, and English Premier League side Nottingham Forest begged for wing-back Olaoluwa Aina to be allowed to fly back to the United Kingdom for a crucial tie, with Nigeria already qualified for the AFCON.

Rapid-raider Ademola Lookman, with two goals in the qualifiers like teammate Victor Osimhen, suffered a knock in the front end of this window’s double-header, against Benin Republic’s Cheetahs in Abidjan on Thursday, and left camp on Saturday.

The Super Eagles are not unaware of the fact that the Amavubi are in the same 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying group with them, and that they (Rwanda) are the next opponents when the World Cup qualifying campaign resumes in March 2025.

Monday’s encounter will see the return of former number one safe hands Maduka Okoye, and Bright Osayi-Samuel could start at right wing-back in the absence of Aina, with Bruno Onyemaechi at left wing-back, and Captain William Ekong and Calvin Bassey at centre-back.

Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Frank Onyeka, Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Raphael Onyedika are still the options in the middle.

Victor Osimhen, whose goal earned the one point in Abidjan that took Nigeria to the top of the pool, will hope to score against the Amavubi, having come quite close a number of times when he joined the fray as a second-half substitute in Kigali in September. He also has the target of overtaking former captain Olusegun Odegbami on the goals’ tally for Nigeria.

The absence of Lookman means so much will be expected from fit-fighting and usually-dependable Moses Simon, with Samuel Chukwueze, Sadiq Umar, Kelechi Iheanacho and Victor Boniface all in the race for slots in the fore.