Mozambique made history by securing their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) victory, defeating Gabon 3-2 in a pulsating Group F encounter at Agadir on Sunday, Bold Sports reports.
Chiquinho Conde’s side delivered a spirited performance to claim the landmark result, with goals from Faisal Bangal, Geny Catamo and Diogo Calila proving enough to withstand a late Gabonese surge.
The opening stages of the match were evenly contested, with both sides creating early opportunities. Mozambique, however, looked the sharper side going forward and wasted some promising chances before finally breaking the deadlock late in the first half.
The breakthrough came in the 37th minute when Catamo swung in a teasing corner that was met by a header from Bangal, sending the Mozambican supporters into celebration. The lead was quickly doubled just minutes later after Mozambique were awarded a penalty, which Catamo calmly converted to make it 2–0 within a five-minute spell.
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Gabon responded almost immediately. A costly error from Mozambique goalkeeper Ernan, who punched a shot straight into danger, gifted Aubameyang the chance to pounce, and the striker made no mistake to pull one back just before the interval and give Gabon renewed hope.
Mozambique, however, came out strongly after the break and restored their two-goal cushion seven minutes into the second half. Winger Witi produced a brilliant run down the left flank before delivering a pinpoint cross that Diogo Calila nodded home to make it 3–1.
Gabon refused to surrender and continued to push for a comeback. Their persistence paid off in the 77th minute when Alex Moucketou-Moussounda reacted quickest to a rebound from a corner, firing into the net after Ernan had produced a fine initial save.
The final minutes were tense as Gabon poured forward in search of an equaliser, but Mozambique defended resolutely to see out the match and seal a historic victory.
The result lifts Mozambique to third place in Group F with three points, keeping their qualification hopes alive. Gabon, meanwhile, remain winless and rooted to the bottom of the group with no points.
Mozambique will face Cameroon in their final group match on Wednesday, while Gabon take on Ivory Coast needing a remarkable turnaround to keep their AFCON 2025 campaign alive.
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