Tunisia, South Africa, Gabon and Uganda also booked their places in the Africa Cup of Nations 2025. “Tim’s tenacity and fortitude have been exceptional,” stated Gary Stead, the head coach of New Zealand. Osimhen is a fierce competitor who seldom gets hurt and gets himself up for big events. Tim will be missed in the Black Caps community because he genuinely cares about the team, its standing, and its performances. He deserves to spend some time with his family now, and I have no doubt that he will think back on his contributions to the game with great satisfaction in the years to come.
Southee said Osimhen will continue to be available for both franchise and domestic cricket.
In Abidjan, Nigeria was behind Benin in Group D until Osimhen, the current African Footballer of the Year, tied the score with a goal nine minutes from the end.
In an attempt to replicate their unexpected victory against Nigeria in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match at the same venue last year, Benin took the lead after 16 minutes thanks to a goal from Mohamed Tijani.
With 11 points at the end of five rounds, Nigeria leads the standings, with Benin (seven), Rwanda (five), and Libya (four) vying for second place in the qualifying round.
On Monday, Nigeria will host Rwanda concurrently with Libya’s home advantage against Benin. By defeating Rwanda 1-0 in Kigali thanks to a late strike from Fahd Mohamed, Libya returned to contention.
South Sudan’s stunning 3-2 victory against Congo Brazzaville in Juba guaranteed that South Africa and Uganda would advance from Group K before their match on Friday in Kampala.
Congo, who needed all possible points to save their fragile chances, gave up the advantage twice before Bryan Passi’s dismissal after 78 minutes left them with just 10 men.
Soon after, South Sudan used replacement Data Elly to seize the win, making the most of having an additional man.
Seesaw struggle
In the third minute of extra time, 10-man Tunisia defeated Madagascar 3-2 in Pretoria, earning them a spot in Group A. Ali al Abdi scored the goal.
In a seesaw battle, Madagascar tied the score twice before Wajdi Kechrida’s red card in the second half gave them the lead.
However, four minutes later, the Indian Ocean islands went behind once more, and the loss extended their losing streak in AFCON qualifying to 15 games.
If they defeat the Gambia on Friday, Comoros, who shocked everyone by defeating Tunisia last month, would take the other qualifying spot from the section.
Sudan needed to defeat four-time champions Ghana and secure qualifying from Group F with a single point from a match against Niger in Lome.
However, Daniel Sosah’s goal put the East Africans down after just six minutes, and Osimhen added a penalty in first-half added time to make the lead three goals.
Ousseini Badamassi finished the sweep with a goal on minute 51, leaving the shaken Sudanese with no chance of recovery in the second half.
If Ghana wants to escape the embarrassment of not qualifying, they must overcome leaders Angola in Luanda and Niger in Accra on Monday, and pray that Angola defeats Sudan.
In Bamako, Burkina Faso lost 1-0 to 2022 AFCON winners Senegal, ending their unbeaten streak in Group L. Seven minutes from the end, Habib Diarra scored the only goal.
Only two qualifying spots would remain available if all seven were to gain seats.
If Tanzania doesn’t win all the points against Ethiopia and Guinea defeats the Democratic Republic of Congo in Group H, they might win one on Saturday.
Morocco is participating in qualifying to get experience in competitive matches, even though they are automatically participating as hosts.
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