Senegal 3-0 Botswana: Jackson brace assists AFCON contenders in straightforward win
Nicolas Jackson netted two goals as Senegal commenced their Africa Cup of Nations journey with a comfortable 3-0 victory against Botswana at the Grand Stade de Tanger. The Bayern Munich forward found the net in both halves for the 2021 tournament champions, while substitute Cherif Ndiaye contributed a late third goal in the match on Tuesday.
Jackson was active right from the start, being thwarted in a one-on-one situation within the initial three minutes, while Sadio Mane and Iliman Ndiaye also came close before Senegal’s breakthrough in the 40th minute.
Ismail Jakobs delivered a cut-back from the left side, and Jackson finished with a first-time strike to give Senegal – who are ranked 119 spots higher than their rivals in the FIFA rankings – a well-deserved lead in Tangier.
Jackson’s second goal came in the 58th minute when he skillfully evaded two defenders and calmly slotted the ball past Goitseone Phoko into the net.
A chance for a hat-trick in the Group D encounter went begging when he shot over from 10 yards, while the inspired Phoko denied Mane from scoring with yet another impressive save.
Snooze button? Nah, just Jackson’s way of celebrating a brace. #WeCelebr… | #TotalE… pic.twitter.com/6X67epIWZV
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) December 23, 2025
Data Debrief: Phoko’s heroics fall short as Senegal triumph again
Botswana’s goalkeeper Phoko recorded the second-highest number of saves by any keeper in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying and made 14 saves in this encounter against Senegal.
Senegal now boasts an unbeaten streak of 12 games in the tournament, excluding penalty shootouts, and they have not found themselves trailing in any of those matches.
The Lions of Teranga have also successfully won their opening match in each of the last six editions of the tournament.
Published: 2025-12-23 17:11:00
source: www.soccernews.com
