The Democratic Republic of Congo started their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations adventure with a little 1–0 win over Benin in Group D, keeping their strong pre-tournament trend and trapping their rivals with no goals in three outings.
DR Congo was on fire right from the start and held most of the possession early on, but both teams initially were not very good at finishing their attacks. Cédric Bakambu missed a chance at the onset while the Beninese team was at risk, but Jodel Dossou’s shot did not even reach the goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.
The Congolese team’s persistence finally bore fruit in the middle of the first half when an error by the Benin defense let Théo Bongonda sneak in, pick up a loose ball, and expertly place it in the bottom corner. The goal was a true measure of DR Congo’s control of the game, as Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s constant running and width on the wings empowered the team.
Before half-time, Benin came very close to equalizing when Dodo Doku’s header went marginally past the post, whereas Bongonda had a chance to score his second goal a minute later. Just after the half-time break, Bakambu was sure he had scored the second goal with a powerful header, but it was disallowed for offside after a VAR check.
The match became more open after the hour. Benin finally had a shot at the opponent’s goal, which was through Romaric Amoussou, who came in as a substitute. The late-game opportunities for Tosin Aiyegun did not lead to a goal for the Cheetahs.
This victory increased the number of DR Congo’s away wins to six matches in a row, while it still counts for Benin as their first AFCON win in 90 minutes continues.
