December 27, (THEWILL) — Benin Republic claimed a historic 1-0 win over Botswana in Rabat, recording their first victory in regulation time at the African Cup of Nations after a 15-match winless streak.
The result levels the Cheetahs with Senegal and DR Congo in the group standings ahead of the latter two sides meeting later on Saturday.
Yohan Roche broke the deadlock before the half-hour mark, firing a right-footed shot into the roof of the net from inside the penalty area.
Benin had seen an earlier effort from Aiyegun Tosin disallowed for offside just four minutes into the contest. Botswana nearly equalised when Mothusi Johnson struck the crossbar from a free-kick 10 minutes before the interval.
The second period belonged largely to Benin, which controlled proceedings in the opening 20 minutes.
Tamimou Ouorou tested Goitseone Phoko twice in the space of five minutes midway through the half, first forcing a save low to the goalkeeper’s left before seeing another attempt from distance comfortably gathered.
Despite sustained pressure in the closing stages, the Cheetahs could not add to their tally.
Benin will likely require a win over Senegal on Tuesday to progress to the knockout rounds.
Botswana, meanwhile, has been eliminated from contention and face DR Congo in their final group match seeking to avoid losing all three games for the second consecutive AFCON tournament.
Both nations entered the fixture with poor records at the competition, Benin having never previously won in regulation time and Botswana yet to register a victory at any AFCON finals.
The breakthrough in Morocco gives the Cheetahs renewed optimism of extending their campaign beyond the group phase.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
