Tuesday Jan 06, 2026. 19:55
Join AfricanFootball.com for LIVE updates from all 52 matches of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, as 24 teams battle for glory in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January.
Today’s matches:
18h00 – Algeria v DR Congo – Match Centre
21h00 – Code d’Ivoire v Burkina Faso – Match Centre
Updates:
91′ – We’re back underway in the first half of extra time.
Full-time – Algeria 0 DR Congo 0. The game will go to extra time. The Fennecs grew in confidence as the second half progressed and created a handful of chances, with the Leopards required to do a lot more defending.
86′ – The ball falls for Moussam from a corner, but his shot is straight at Mpasi. Good opportunity missed for Algeria.
83′ – Algeria threaten again as Maza gets on the end of a free-kick, but sees his downward header bounce wide of the right post.
80′ – Mohamed Amoura gets the better of Chancel Mbemba in a foot race and tests Mpasi with a shot from inside the box.
78′ – Mpasi is finally called into action as he makes a comfortable save from Anis Hadj Moussam who cut inside from the right before letting fly from range.
74′ – Edo Kayembe tries his luck from range, but Zidane is well placed to make a good save. That was the first shot on target.
70′ – There’s just 20 minutes left in regulation time and we’ve yet to see single shot on taget. Extra-time could be beckoning here.
69′ – Riyad Mahrez goes for goal from a long way out and his free-kick flies over the crossbar.
60′ An hour gone and it’s been a low-quality game thus far. One goal might just be enough to separate the two teams.
53′ – Hicham Boudaoui delivers a cross into the danger area which is met by Chaibi, but his header is disappointing as it misses the target by a good few yards.
50′ – Algeria are forced into an early change in the second half as Ismael Bennacer is replaced by Himad Abdelli after picking up what appears to be a muscular injury.
46′ – Algeria get the ball rolling in the second half in Rabat.
Half-time – Algeria 0 DR Congo 0. The Fennecs enjoyed slightly more possession in the opening 45 minutes, but they hardly threatened Lionel Mpasi’s goal, while the Leopards looked more dangerous and went closest to breaking the deadlock through a header from Tuanzebe.
45′ – There will be just one minute added on at the end of the first half.
43 – Ibrahim Maza runs at the defence and unleashes a shot that flies well wide of the right post. That was Algeria’s first shot at goal.
32′ – Another chance for DR Congo as Bakambu gets on the end of Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross from the right, but can’t direct his header on target,
27′ – The resulting corner sees Axel Tuanzebe rise above his marker to steer a header wide of the left post.
25 ‘ – Bakambu flicks on a long ball and manages to latch onto a return pass. He advances towards goal and gets off a shot that was going wide, but Luca Zidane palms the ball away for a corner.
20′ – Cedric Bakambu is walking a disciplinary tightrope after committing three fouls inside the opening 20 minutes. His next foul could well result in a booking.
15′ – The possession stakes at the 15-minute mark is 64-36 per cent in favour of the Fennecs.
11’ – Algeria win the first corner of the game. However, Fares Chaibi’s delivery is poor as it doesn’t clear the first man.
‘8’ – A scrappy start to the game as neither team has managed to settle down yet. DR Congo have done well to deny Algeria space by applying a press.
1′ – DR Congo get proceedings underway at the Moulay Hassan Stadium.
What the managers said:
Algeria head coach Vladimir Petkovic: “Congo is a well-built team, and you can clearly see the coach’s influence. Offensively, they are especially dangerous down the right side.
“They attack with a positive approach and strong momentum, and this is reflected in their results, both in the qualifiers and in knockout matches. They may not be used to facing opponents of a certain caliber, but they are still capable of eliminating them.”
DR Congo head coach Sebastien Desabre: “These are high-stakes matches, since a place in the quarter-finals is at stake against a very good African team.
“For us, we’re happy because it helps us continue to improve in match preparation. It will also give us a lot of experience in managing this kind of game.
“And for us, we keep going, we don’t feel any extra pressure. In Congo, we’re used to having high pressure in matches. The players know this, and we actually like it.”
DR Congo have been more consistent on Africa’s biggest stage, finishing third in 2015 and fourth in 2023, while they were eliminated at the quarter-final stage in 2017 and the round of 16 in 2019. The only time the Leopards failed to progress beyond the group stages came in 2013, while the failed to qualify for AFCON 2021.
Algeria, who were crowned champions for the second time in 2019, are bidding to reach the quarter-finals for only the third time in seven consecutive appearances. The Fennces bowed out of the tournament at the group stages in the 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2023 editions, while they went no further than the last eight in 2015.
Algeria v DR Congo starting line-ups:
Algeria: L. Zidane, R. Belghali, A. Mandi, R. Bensebaini, R. Ait-Nouri, H. Boudaoui, I. Bennacer, F. Chaibi, R. Mahrez, I. Maza, M. Amoura.
DR Congo: L. Mpasi, A. Wan-Bissaka, A. Tuanzebe, S. Moutoussamy, C. Mbemba, J. Kayembe, T. Bongonda, N. Mukau, M. Elia, N. Sadiki, C. Bakambu.