Senegal starts Africa Cup campaign with 3-0 win over Botswana, Nigeria plods past Tanzania 2-1

TANGIER, Morocco (AP) — The contrast could hardly be greater.

Nicolas Jackson scored twice and Senegal started its Africa Cup of Nations title bid with a comfortable 3-0 win over Botswana on Tuesday, before Nigeria opened with a nervy 2-1 victory over Tanzania.

Both teams are among the favorites for the 35th edition of the tournament, but only one lived up to its billing.

Senegal substitute Cherif Ndiaye completed his team's scoring after Botswana goalkeeper Goitseone Phoko had prevented worse for the Zebras, who lined up with five at the back and were pinned back for most of the game.

“We have to keep going like this,” said Senegal coach Pape Thiaw, who nevertheless saw room for improvement. “There are no easy opening matches.”

Nigeria got a Group C win in the old “imperial city” of Fez, but the performance may cause concern.

“We are satisfied with the three points. That is the most important,” Nigeria coach Éric Chelle said.

The Super Eagles made the better start and should have scored long before Semi Ajayi finally broke the deadlock in the 36th with a header off Alex Iwobi’s cross after a short corner.

Charles M’Mombwa equalized against the run of play early in the second half, and though Ademola Lookman replied almost straight away with a fine strike, the Taifa Stars’ goal seemed to drain Nigerian confidence away.

Nigeria star Victor Osimhen, who’d earlier had a would-be goal ruled out for offside, was unhappy when he went off in the 86th.

Ibrahim Hamad missed the last chance for Tanzania, and Nigeria — the beaten finalist in the last edition — ultimately had enough experience to hold on.

Senegal, winner of the 2021 edition, could have scored more against a team ranked 138th in the world, all while the colorfully dressed Senegal fans danced to the beat of their drums.

The official team supporters had taken their positions long before kickoff and never stopped, not even as organizers blared pop tunes and advertisements in the otherwise mostly empty stadium.

Attendance in the 68,000-capacity Grand Stade de Tanger, which looks like a sugar-coated donut from the outside, was just over 18,500. Heavy rainfall likely kept neutral fans away. It kept pouring on the third day of what is shaping up to be the wettest and coldest Africa Cup to date. The tournament was initially scheduled for the summer, but it was pushed back to avoid clashing with FIFA’s new Club World Cup competition.

Jackson, who has had limited opportunities at Bayern Munich since his summer switch from Chelsea, missed a host of chances. The first came early with Phoko getting the better of their one-on-one, before Pape Gueye fired over, and Phoko made another great save to deny Sadio Mané.

Many more chances were missed before Jackson finally broke the deadlock in the 40th with a simple finish to Ismail Jakobs’ fast cross.

Botswana initially showed more attacking ambition after the break, but that yielded more counterattacking opportunities for the Teranga Lions, who quickly resumed their earlier dominance.

Jackson used both feet before sweeping in the ball in for his second goal in the 58th from Ismaïla Sarr’s cross.

Phoko remained the busiest Botswana player as Jackson’s frustrations grew. Jackson went off for Ndiaye in the 78th and the substitute wrapped up the scoring in the last minute.

Elias Achouri scored twice and Tunisia dealt Nigeria a warning with a 3-1 win over Uganda in Group C.

Ellyes Skhiri also scored for the Carthage Eagles, who were buoyed by vocal support, with Denis Omedi getting Uganda's consolation goal in stoppage time.

Nigeria faces Tunisia next on Saturday.

An early goal from Théo Bongonda was enough for Congo to beat Benin 1-0 in Group D's first game.

AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

Senegal's Nicolas Jackson celebrates after scoring during the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Senegal and Botswana in Tangier, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Senegal's Cherif Ndiaye, left, and Cheikh Sabaly celebrate after a goal during the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Senegal and Botswana in Tangier, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Senegal's Cherif Ndiaye celebrates after scoring during the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Senegal and Botswana in Tangier, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

A general view of the Tangier Grand Stadium is seen during the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Senegal and Botswana in Tangier, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Senegal's Nicolas Jackson celebrates after scoring during the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Senegal and Botswana in Tangier, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Senegal's Nicolas Jackson celebrates after scoring during the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Senegal and Botswana in Tangier, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)