Tunisia and Botswana played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at the Stade Olympique Hammadi-Agrebi in Rades, Tunisia, sharing the points on Matchday 2 of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027 qualifiers. Both national teams entered the fixture seeking their first victory of Group H play after opening their campaigns with stalemates.
The Eagles of Carthage remained in search of their first win of the qualification campaign following a 1-1 draw against co-hosts Uganda in their opener. Meanwhile, Botswana collected their second consecutive point after recording a 2-2 result against Libya in their respective opening match.
First-Half Action and Goalscorers
The Zebras of Botswana stunned the home supporters by taking the lead after 37 minutes when Thatayaone Kgamanyane found the back of the net. However, Tunisia responded strongly before the interval. Forward Hazem Mastouri struck in the 44th minute to equalize, sending the two sides into halftime locked at 1-1.
Tunisia quickly completed the turnaround shortly after the restart. Mastouri scored his second goal of the night in the 49th minute, giving the hosts a 2-1 advantage and putting them in control of the contest.
Botswana Fights Back to Secure a Point
Despite falling behind, Botswana displayed remarkable resilience to work their way back into the fixture. Midfielder Lebogang Ditsele drew the visitors level on the hour mark, making it 2-2 and setting up an intense final half-hour.
Both teams pushed aggressively for a winning goal as the match entered its closing stages, but neither could find the decisive breakthrough. The final whistle confirmed a 2-2 share of the spoils, leaving both squads searching for their first maximum points in the group.
Group H Standings and Qualification Context
The draw leaves both Tunisia and Botswana sitting on two points after two rounds of fixtures in Group H. The group dynamic features an added dimension because Uganda is already assured of a place at the finals as one of the three co-hosts, alongside Kenya and Tanzania.
Consequently, only the highest-placed side outside of Uganda will qualify automatically from Group H. This places immense importance on every single point collected throughout the six-match qualifying campaign.
Tunisia Starting Lineup
- Goalkeeper: Aymen Dahmen
- Defenders: Montassar Talbi, Mohamed Nasraoui, Adem Arous
- Midfielders: Ali Maaloul, Ferjani Sassi, Anis Ben Slimane, Aissa Laidouni
- Forwards: Ismael Gharbi, Hazem Mastouri, Sayfallah Ltaief
