Four-time champions Ghana were held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo in their opening Group B match at the TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Egypt 2025.
In their first-ever meeting at this level, both sides produced a tense and competitive contest. DR Congo took the lead in the 16th minute through captain Samuel Ntanda-Lukisa, who finished confidently after a well-worked move.
Ghana, however, responded just six minutes later when Aziz Musibau equalized to bring the Black Satellites back into the game.
The remainder of the match was marked by close calls and missed opportunities on both sides, with neither able to find a winner. The result leaves both teams with one point each as the group remains wide open.
Historically, DR Congo had never met Ghana in this age category before. However, the Central Africans had faced West African opposition four times previously, including three encounters with Nigeria and one with Mali. They failed to win any of those matches, with two draws and two losses.
Ghana, meanwhile, have faced Central African teams only in the form of Cameroon at the finals. They beat them in the 1993 and 2009 finals but lost once in the group stage in 1993 and drew the other four encounters.
This marks DR Congo’s return to the U-20 AFCON for the first time since 2013. Their last appearance saw them exit at the group stage after drawing 0-0 with Gabon, losing 2-1 to Mali, and suffering a 3-1 defeat to Nigeria. To qualify for this year’s finals, DR Congo won the 2024 UNIFFAC tournament.
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