RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Tanzania and Tunisia grabbed the last available places in the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday by playing out a 1-1 draw that eliminated Angola.
Feisal Salum’s goal for Tanzania, which canceled out Ismaël Gharbi’s penalty, sent the Taifa Stars to the last 16 as one of the six groups’ best third-place finishers.
Angola, which finished third in Group B, had been hoping for a favor from Tunisia to beat Tanzania and another from Nigeria, which complied by defeating Uganda 3-1.
But Tanzania’s goal proved the difference. Both Tanzania and Angola finished with two points and a goal difference of -1. Salum’s goal meant the Taifa Stars had scored more in the group stage (Tanzania's three goals vs. Angola’s two), meaning they go through to the next round.
“I hope this will be a reminder to these players and the next generation of players on the potential of Tanzanian football,” Taifa Stars coach Miguel Gamondi said.
Tunisia advances as Group C runner-up, but it wasn’t enough to appease its fans, who whistled the team after supporting it in the rain in Rabat.
“We may not have played the best way possible, but we are very happy to have qualified,” Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi said.
The game started with intensity and desperation usually only seen in the final minutes with the Carthage Eagles besieging the Tanzanian goal.
Gharbi rattled the left post and tried an audacious shot from near the halfway line, while tackles went flying from both sides.
Tunisia got a break when Ibrahim Hamad was penalized after a VAR check for dragging back Hazem Mastouri. Gharbi converted the penalty in the 43rd.
Salum replied after the break with a low shot that skidded along the wet grass inside the left post.
With his team already assured of top spot in the group, Nigeria coach Eric Chelle opted to rest many of his regulars including Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi and Bright Osayi-Samuel. Victor Osimhen played from the start.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru crossed for Paul Onuachu to score with a simple finish in the 28th, and Uganda’s slim hopes were effectively ended early in the second half. Goalkeeper Denis Onyango was unable to resume after the break, and his replacement Salim Magoola was sent off in the 50th for handling the ball outside the penalty area. Magoola couldn’t resist stopping a shot from Osimhen.
Uganda’s third-choice goalkeeper Nafian Alionzi soon conceded when Raphael Onyedika shot the ball between his legs for 2-0 in the 62nd, five minutes before Onyedika got another goal.
Rogers Mato restored some Ugandan pride in the 75th with a fine chip over Francis Uzoho in the Nigeria goal.
Later Tuesday, Senegal played Benin and Congo faced Botswana to decide their positions in Group D.
Senegal, Congo and Benin are all sure of progress.
AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
Tanzania's Haji Mnoga, left, and Tunisia's Ali Abdi compete for the ball during 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)
Tanzania's players pose before 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)
Tanzania's Simon Msuva controls the ball during 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)
BOSTON (AP) — New England Patriots star wide receiver Stefon Diggs is facing strangulation and other criminal charges in connection with a dispute with his former private chef, police said.
News of the charges emerged after a court hearing Tuesday in Dedham, Massachusetts. Diggs is charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery.
Diggs’ lawyer, David Meier, said in an emailed statement that Diggs “categorically denies these allegations.”
Meier said the allegations never occurred, describing them as unsubstantiated and uncorroborated.
“The timing and motivation for making the allegations is crystal clear: they are the direct result of an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction,” Meier wrote.
In a statement, the Patriots said they were also standing by Diggs: “We support Stefon,” the team said.
A police narrative in a court filing about the case said a woman came to the Dedham Police Department on Dec. 16 to say that two weeks earlier, while working as a private chef for Diggs, he came into her bedroom and became angry during a discussion about money. The woman told police Diggs “smacked her across the face,” she tried to push him away and then he “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck.”
“She said that he was behind her with his arm wrapped around her,” wrote Officer Kenneth J. Ellis. “She said that she did feel like she had trouble breathing and that she felt like she could have blacked out.” Diggs threw her on a bed and said “lies” when she told him she had not been paid, Ellis wrote.
The chef sought payment for a week in November when Diggs was having houseguests and she had to go home, Ellis wrote. The woman “left her position” and the home in Dedham but returned on Dec. 9 to retrieve her property. At that point, she told police, Diggs referred her to his assistant, who told the woman she had to sign a non-disclosure agreement before she would be paid. She did not sign it, police said.
The woman was reluctant to file charges until last week, Ellis wrote, when “she let me know that she had changed her mind from a few days ago” and wanted criminal charges.
Diggs, 32, established himself as one of the NFL’s best wide receivers during a run with Minnesota and Buffalo from 2018 to 2023, when he had six consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and was selected to the Pro Bowl four times.
After a lackluster stint in Houston last year, Diggs ended up in New England, signing a three-year, $69 million deal in free agency that guaranteed him $26 million.
Diggs has proven a reliable target for second-year quarterback Drake Maye and is a big reason why the team has once again clinched the AFC East title as the team heads toward the playoffs.
Off the field, though, his tenure with the Patriots got off to a rocky start when a video surfaced on social media in May showing Diggs passing what appeared to be a bag of pink crystals to women on a boat.
It wasn’t clear what the substance was, and an NFL spokesperson said the league would not comment. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said the team would handle that matter internally.
FILE - New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) leaves the field following an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov 23, 2025, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (AP Photo/Peter Joneleit, File)
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) runs against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
