Nigeria brought Uganda’s TotalEnergies AFCON campaign to an end after securing a convincing 3–1 victory over the Uganda Cranes in their final Group C match played on Tuesday at the Complexe Sportif de Fès in Morocco.
The Super Eagles, who came into the fixture on the back of wins against Tanzania and Tunisia, needed only to avoid defeat to finish top of the group. Uganda, by contrast, required maximum points to keep their qualification hopes alive.
Nigeria struck first in the 28th minute when Paul Onuachu calmly finished from close range, guiding the ball into the bottom left corner after a precise assist from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru. The goal capped sustained Nigerian pressure and came shortly after Uganda goalkeeper Denis Onyango had denied Onuachu with a fine save.
Uganda attempted to respond after the break and made several changes, but their task became significantly harder in the 56th minute when Salim Magoola was sent off for handball. Nigeria quickly took advantage of the numerical superiority.
Raphael Onyedika doubled Nigeria’s lead in the 62nd minute with a composed right-footed finish following a Samuel Chukwueze assist. Five minutes later, the midfielder struck again, converting from the centre of the box to make it 3–0, once more set up by Chukwueze.
Despite being reduced to ten men, Uganda showed resilience and pulled one back in the 75th minute through Rogers Mato, who finished clinically after being played through by Allan Okello.
Nigeria, however, remained in control and professionally managed the closing stages to secure all three points. The victory confirmed the Super Eagles’ perfect group-stage record and top spot in Group C, while Uganda’s campaign ended at the group stage.
Raphael Onyedika was named TotalEnergies Man of the Match after scoring twice in a dominant midfield performance.
Senegal, DR Congo and Tunisia advance
Elsewhere in the tournament on Tuesday, Senegal underlined their title credentials with a convincing 3–0 win over Benin to finish top of Group D. Abdoulaye Seck opened the scoring before goals from Habib Diallo and a late penalty by Cherif Ndiaye sealed the result, despite the Teranga Lions playing part of the match with ten men.
In the same group, DR Congo secured second place with a dominant 3–0 victory over Botswana, inspired by a brace and an assist from Gael Kakuta. The result set up a mouth-watering Round of 16 clash between DR Congo and Algeria.
In Group B, Tanzania and Tunisia played out a 1–1 draw in Rabat, a result that saw Tunisia advance to the Round of 16 in second place, while Tanzania boosted their chances of progressing as one of the best third-placed teams.
With the group stage nearing its conclusion, Nigeria now look ahead to the knockout phase with momentum firmly on their side, while Uganda exit the competition with lessons to take forward.