Lightning Start in AFCON: Tunisia Breaks Uganda’s Defense and History
23 December 2025
Match recap
Tunisia took an early lead against Uganda in the opening Group C clash of the Africa Cup of Nations hosted in Morocco.
The goal came from Elias Sakhiri in the 10th minute.
According to Opta, only Egypt (22) and Nigeria (16) have more goals in the first 10 minutes of AFCON matches than Tunisia's 12.
Milestones and context
The analysis also notes that Tunisia is level with Ivory Coast and Zambia on 12 such goals in AFCON play.
This was the first time Tunisia scored in the opening 10 minutes of an AFCON opener since Essam Jemaa against Senegal in 2008.
Moreover, Sakhiri's strike against Uganda marks Tunisia's 100th AFCON goal, placing them as the sixth nation to reach the milestone in the history of the tournament.
Punchline 1: That opener came so fast the net barely blinked. Boom, 1-0.
Punchline 2: If opening goals were a warranty, Tunisia just issued a century-long guarantee on their AFCON campaign.
