‘Hopefully it is the start of many goals to come,’ says Jackson after netting twice in Senegal’s 3-0 AFCON 2025 win Vs Botswana
Nicolas Jackson hopes his two goals in Senegal’s 3-0 demolition of Botswana will be the start of many at the Africa Cup of Nations, after finally breaking his duck in the competition.
The Chelsea striker had fired blanks in three appearances at last year’s tournament in Côte d’Ivoire, but opened his account in style in Tangier on Tuesday evening, scoring in either half to inspire the Lions of Teranga to a commanding Group D victory.
Jackson broke the deadlock five minutes before halftime with a composed first-time finish, meeting Ismail Jakobs’ well-measured cross from the left.
The goal settled Senegal, who had dominated possession and created numerous chances but were repeatedly denied by Botswana goalkeeper Goitseone Phoko, who produced outstanding saves to frustrate Jackson, Sadio Mané and Iliman Ndiaye in the opening 40 minutes.
Senegal’s superiority continued after the break, and Jackson doubled his tally in the 58th minute, showing sharp movement to finish off Ismaila Sarr’s clever pass. With the contest effectively decided, substitute Cherif Ndiaye added a third in stoppage time, sweeping home Cheikh Sabaly’s delivery to complete a statement win for the former champions.
Reflecting on his performance, Jackson, who was named Man of the Match, said: ‘I am very happy to have started on this note by scoring two goals and hopefully it is the start of many goals to come. Most importantly we won the match and played well. It is an important victory but now it is behind us and we will move our focus to the next game.’
The result gives Senegal a confident start to their Morocco 2025 campaign as they aim to reclaim the continental crown they lost to Côte d’Ivoire last year, while Botswana will look to regroup ahead of their next fixture.
