On Thursday night, Algeria began their AFCON 2025 qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win against Equatorial Guinea at the Miloud Hadefi Stadium in Oran. Houssem Aouar and Amine Gouiri were the heroes for the Desert Warriors, scoring the goals that handed their side a valuable three points.

The Algerians started the game aggressively, piling pressure on Equatorial Guinea's defense from the first whistle. The trio of Baghdad Bounedjah, Saïd Benrahma, and Riyad Mahrez created several chances, but the breakthrough proved elusive early on.

Equatorial Guinea responded with a powerful shot in the 17th minute that narrowly missed the target, giving the home side a scare. In the 23rd minute, Algeria won a penalty after Bounedjah was fouled in the box, but captain Riyad Mahrez missed the opportunity, sending his shot over the bar.

Benrahma came close to scoring in the 27th minute, but his effort was saved by the visiting goalkeeper Jesús Lázaro, as Algeria squandered yet another chance. The first half ended 0-0, despite Algeria's dominance.

The second half saw more relentless pressure from Algeria. Their efforts finally paid off in the 69th minute when Aouar headed home a rebound after a powerful shot from Mahrez was parried by Lázaro. The goal sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

Amine Gouiri added a second goal deep into stoppage time (90+5), sealing the 2-0 win and giving Algeria a strong start to their AFCON 2025 qualifying campaign.

Tunisia 1-0 Madagascar

Meanwhile, Tunisia secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Madagascar at the Rades Stadium in Tunis. The only goal of the match came in the eighth minute of stoppage time, with Ferjani Sassi scoring the decisive winner. The match had been tightly contested, with Madagascar's defense holding firm until the dying moments.

This narrow win gave the Carthage Eagles an important three points to start their AFCON 2025 journey, setting them up for further success in the coming matches.