HOUSTON (AP) — Prince Owusu scored two goals a three-minute span, Jalen Neal added his first goal of the season and CF Montreal beat the Houston Dynamo 3-1 on Saturday night.
Montreal (2-11-5) snapped a five-game winless streak during which the club was outscored 16-6.
Owusu nearly lost the ball while fighting off a defender near the penalty spot before he rolled a left-footer into the net in the 30th minute. Then, on the counter-attack in the 32nd, Owusu slipped in front of defender Femi Awodesu and went up high for a header — off an arcing entry played in by Aleksandr Guboglo, the 18-year-old's first assist in MLS — from the center of the area that made it 2-0.
Neal made it 3-0 in the 54th minute. Tom Pearce played a free kick from near the right sideline to the back post, where Neal fought off a defender and then scored on a header from the edge of the 6-yard box.
Ondřej Lingr scored on a header off a ball-in played by Nicolás Lodeiro in the 64th for Houston (5-8-5).
The Dynamo have lost back-to-back games by a score of 3-1 following a four-game unbeaten streak that included three wins.
Houston had 56% possession and outshot Montreal 19-8.
Jonathan Bond finished with two saves for the Dynamo.
Jonathan Sirois stopped one shot for Montreal.
The 28-year-old Owusu, in his third MLS season, had his second career multi-goal game and his first of the season.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
Houston Dynamo defender Felipe Andrade, top left, and CF Montreal forward Prince Osei Owusu, top right, battle for a header as Dynamo midfielder Artur (6) looks on during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
CF Montreal defender Jalen Neal, left, slide-tackles the ball away from Houston Dynamo midfielder Griffin Dorsey, right, during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
CF Montréal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois, right, blocks a shot on goal by Houston Dynamo forward Gabriel Segal, second from right, during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Tanzania and Tunisia secured the last two available spots in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16 on Tuesday, completing the lineup before half of the groups had concluded their final games.
Tanzania's 1-1 draw with Tunisia in Group C wrecked Angola's hopes of squeezing through as one of the best third-place finishers with just two points from Group B. Angola’s goal difference was better than that of Comoros, the third-place finisher in Group A.
Feisal Salum’s equalizer for Tanzania sent the Taifa Stars through. While Tanzania and Angola both finished with two points and a goal difference of minus 1, the goal scored by Salum, who is commonly known as Fei Toto, took Tanzania's tally to three — one better than Angola's two goals.
All the other group stage survivors were decided already on Monday because of Angola and Comoros’ relatively low points total. It meant teams that already had more than two points and were already assured of at least third place in their groups could be certain of reaching the last 16.
The four best third-place teams from the six groups progress, along with the top two in each. Head-to-head results are the first determining factor if two teams finish with the same amount of points in a group.
Here's a look at which teams went through from the six groups:
Host nation Morocco progressed as the winner of Group A, followed by second-place Mali with just three points from three draws. Morocco next faces a third-place finisher from Groups C, D or E on Sunday. More importantly for the Atlas Lions, they will continue their run to the final in the almost 70,000-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which will also stage the final on Jan. 18. Mali awaits Tunisia for a showdown in Casablanca on Saturday.
Seven-time champion Egypt booked its place after two games and won Group B to advance with South Africa in second, ahead of Angola. Egypt stays in Agadir and next faces a third-place finisher from Groups A, C or D on Jan. 5. South Africa faces a likely tough game against the runner-up in Group F on Sunday.
Nigeria was already sure of topping Group C before its 3-1 win over Uganda on Tuesday. The Super Eagles will remain in Fez for their first knockout game against a third-place finisher from Groups A, B or F on Jan. 5. Tunisia faces Mali in the last 16, and Tanzania progressed as the fourth-best third-place finisher.
Senegal, Congo and Benin were already sure of progressing before their final group games late Tuesday. In the end, Senegal topped the group on goal difference after its 3-0 win over Benin, while Congo finished second after a 3-0 win over Botswana. Botswana had already lost to Senegal and Benin and was certain of finishing last.
Top spot ensured Senegal stays in Tangier for its first knockout game on Saturday against a third-place finisher from Groups B, E or F. But the 2021 champion will be without suspended captain Kalidou Koulibaly.
Congo next faces Algeria, and Benin – like the other surviving third-place finishers – will face one of the group winners.
Algeria is certain to win Group E before its final group games, and Burkina Faso and Sudan are certain to advance because they cannot finish below Equatorial Guinea, which lost both games against them. Algeria will play Congo, the second-place finisher from Group D, on Jan 6. in the same Rabat stadium where it has played all its games so far. On Wednesday, Sudan play Burkina Faso and Algeria plays Equatorial Guinea.
Defending champion Ivory Coast, five-time winner Cameroon, and Mozambique are assured of progress from Group F. Gabon, sure to finish last, was already eliminated before the last round of group games on Wednesday, when the order of the top three teams will be decided. Ivory Coast plays Gabon and Cameroon faces Mozambique.
AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
A DR Congo fans cheer prior to the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Botswana and DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
A DR Congo fan cheers prior to the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Botswana and DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Morocco fans wait for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations group A soccer match between Zambia and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Tunisia's supporters wait for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations group C soccer match between Tanzania and Tunisia in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
A Moroccan fan waits for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations group A soccer match between Zambia and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A Moroccan fan waits for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations group A soccer match between Zambia and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Senegal fans support their national team during the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Senegal and DR Congo in Tangier, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
