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2025 AFCON Mozzart Sport Kenya's Round 3 Best XI: Braces all over the place
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 01.01.26. | 15:24
As many as seven players in Mozzart Sport Kenya's Best XI of the third group stage round at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations either scored two goals or recorded two assists
The group stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is now complete. Some teams fell seriously short - we're looking at you, Angola and Gabon, while others, like Tanzania, Sudan, Benin, and Mozambique, put in terrific performances and exceeded expectations.
As in the previous two rounds, Mozzart Sport Kenya brings you the Best XI of the third and final matchday in the group stage. Interestingly, seven out of the 11 players we chose recorded either a brace of goals or a brace of assists in the just-finished round.
For the first time, Senegal custodian and ex-Chelsea man, Edouard Mendy, is between the posts, after keeping a clean sheet in the Lions of Teranga's crushing 3-0 win over Benin.
His teammate and the scorer of the opener, Abdoulaye Seck, is in front of him, alongside Zineddine Belaid of Algeria, who broke the deadlock in the Desert Foxes' 3-1 triumph against Equatorial Guinea. The final piece of the defensive puzzle is Burkina Faso's Arsene Kouassi, who provided two assists for as many goals his team scored against Sudan (2-0).
The pair of central midfielders consists of Morocco's Azzedine Ounahi, a double assister in the hosts' victory over Zambia, and Raphael Onyedika of Nigeria, who bagged a brace for the Super Eagles against Uganda.
Onyedika's teammate, Samuel Chukwueze, set up both of his goals and earned his place on the right wing, while the man with the same output, Ivory Coast's Christopher Operi, took the spot on the opposite flank.
The three forwards were as efficient as it gets. South Africa's Lyle Foster recorded a goal and an assist in a hard-won 3-2 win over Zimbabwe, while Morocco's Ayoub El Kaabi bagged a brace, but netted another bicycle-kick screamer and stunned the whole football world.
Finally, the best player of the third AFCON round was DR Congo's veteran Gael Kakuta, recording a brace and an assist against Botswana on his debut at the tournament.
AFCON 2025 - ROUND OF 16
Saturday
19.00: (1.17) Senegal (7.25) Sudan (17.0)
22.00: (3.10) Mali (2.80) Tunisia (2.70)
Sunday
19.00: (1.15) Morocco (8.50) Tanzania (25.0)
22.00: (3.25) South Africa (3.15) Cameroon (2.50)
Monday
19.00: (1.48) Egypt (4.10) Benin (7.50)
22.00: (1.40) Nigeria (4.50) Mozambique (8.50)
Tuesday
19.00: (2.00) Algeria (3.35) DR Congo (4.00)
22.00: (1.90) Ivory Coast (3.40) Burkina Faso (4.30)
***odds are subject to change***
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