Kigali, Rwanda – Algeria secured a late 1–0 victory against the Democratic Republic of Congo while Côte d’Ivoire delivered a commanding 3–0 win over Burkina Faso, propelling both teams into the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Round of 16 continued on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, with matches held at Prince Moulay Hassan Stadium and Marrakech Stadium in Morocco.
The day began with a tightly contested match between DRC and Algeria. Both teams started with high energy, seeking an early advantage.
DRC created several clear opportunities in the first half, including a 26th-minute save by Algeria’s goalkeeper Luca Zidane on Cédric Bakambu’s effort, quickly followed by Axel Tuanzebe’s shot in the 27th minute that went wide.
These attempts seemed to galvanize Algeria, who gradually gained control of possession however, DRC’s organized defense initially prevented a breakthrough.
Algeria’s best chance came in the 69th minute when Riyad Mahrez’s powerful strike narrowly missed the crossbar. Despite intensifying their attack, Algeria found themselves repeatedly thwarted by DRC goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi-Nzau as regular time expired.
The decisive moment arrived in the 118th minute, proving disastrous for DRC. Algerian wing-back Ramy Bensebaini unleashed a long-range shot from outside the penalty area that found the back of the net.
With this victory, Algeria advanced to the quarter-finals, where they will face Nigeria on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
The second match featured Côte d’Ivoire, the defending champions from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, against Burkina Faso, whose most recent significant achievement was reaching the tournament final in 2013.
As expected, Côte d’Ivoire asserted control from the outset. Franck Kessié produced their first attempt on goal within the opening 15 minutes, narrowly missing the target.
Amad Diallo, a standout performer throughout the tournament, opened the scoring in the 20th minute, marking his third goal of the competition.
Diallo continued to be influential. In the 32nd minute, a cross into the penalty area found his teammate Yan Diomandé in a favorable position, who calmly slotted the ball past Burkina Faso goalkeeper Hervé Koffi.
In the 75th minute, Amad broke through on goal again, facing Hervé Koffi, but his shot drifted just wide of the post.
Shortly thereafter, Côte d’Ivoire head coach Emerse Faé substituted Yan Diomandé with Bazoumana Touré, who scored the team’s third goal in the 86th minute after a sprint from midfield and a confident finish.
Côte d’Ivoire secured a 3–0 victory and now turn their attention to their quarter-final encounter against Egypt, scheduled for Saturday.
