Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye believes the Teranga Lions could have been more ruthless despite opening their 2025 AFCON campaign with a convincing victory over Botswana.
Senegal cruised to a dominant 3-0 win, with Bayern Munich forward Nicolas Jackson currently on loan from Chelsea—scoring twice to earn the Man of the Match award.
While pleased with the performance, Gueye admitted the team fell short of its own expectations in front of goal. Speaking to RTS Senegal after the match, the Everton midfielder said the scoreline did not fully reflect Senegal’s dominance.
“It’s good to win 3-0, score three goals and keep a clean sheet, but when you’re clearly better than the opposition, you have to do more,” Gueye said. “You need to crush them — that’s how you show respect.”
In Group D’s other fixture, the Democratic Republic of Congo edged Benin 1-0 to sit second in the standings, trailing leaders Senegal on goal difference.
With a brace, Senegal's Nicolas Jackson is the TotalEnergies Man of the Match for their match against Botswana! 🇸🇳🌟#TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 | @Football2Gether pic.twitter.com/DKC8YrRgjd
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) December 23, 2025