Tapsoba and Burkina Faso faced Mauritiana in their first match in Group D. It looked for a long time like being an opening draw, but Aston Villa's Bertrand Traoré snatched the three points with a penalty in the 96th minute. The points were then shared against Algeria, with a last-minute goal again deciding the outcome - although this time in favour of the Algerians, who made it 2-2 in stoppage time. In their last group encounter, Burkina Faso lost 2-0 to Angola, meaning they finished second in Group D with four points. Tapsoba played every minute of all three games.
Morocco started the tournament with a 3-0 win against Tanzania. Adli came on in the 71st minute of the Group F opener with the score at 1-0, and set up the second goal for Azzedine Ounahi shortly after. In their second match, the North Africans had to settle for a 1-1 draw against DR Congo, with Adli again being introduced in the latter stages. Morocco sealed top spot in the group with a 1-0 victory against Zambia, with Adli coming on at half-time.
The host nation are also in the last 16. A 2-0 win over Guinea in the opening match of the tournament proved to be enough, despite subsequent 1-0 and 4-0 defeats to Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. Kossounou watched all three games from the bench. Ivory Coast progressed to the round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed sides.
The last-16 ties will be played from Saturday to Tuesday (27-30 January). Tapsoba and Burkina Faso take on Mali, while Kossounou and Ivory Coast are up against Senegal. Should both win, the two Leverkusen centre-backs will then come up against each other in the quarter-finals. Adli and Morocco, meanwhile, face South Africa.
The quarter-finals will take place on 2 and 3 February, the semi-finals on 7 February. After the third-place playoff on 10 February, the final will be played the next day at 21:00 CET.
THE ROUND OF 16 AT A GLANCE (all times CET)
Odilon Kossounou (Ivory Coast):
29.01, 21:00: Senegal v Ivory Coast
Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso):
30.01, 18:00: Mali v Burkina Faso
Amine Adli (Morocco):
30.01, 21:00: Morocco v South Africa
Bayer 04 can go through to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the ninth time tonight, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET) and be in the top 16 clubs in Europe. A good omen: Leverkusen have progressed to the next round after winning the first leg in 20 of their 22 knockout rounds in European competitions to date. For their part, Greek record champions Olympiacos rested several players for last weekend’s league fixture ahead of the play-off second leg at the BayArena and will now do everything in their power to turn the tide with their usual aggressive and high pressing. The discussions on Werkself radio are likely to be just as intense as the battle on the pitch, with commentator Florian Bechholz welcoming honorary captain Stefan Kießling and goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Today’s matchday news.
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With the advantage of the 2-0 first-leg win in the play-offs, the Werkself are looking to book their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League at the sold-out BayArena. Ahead of the home game against Olympiacos on Tuesday, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand and goalkeeper Janis Blaswich spoke about the position ahead of the match, the visitors' strength at set-pieces and a personnel issue for the home side.
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With a win in the Greek Super League last weekend, Olympiacos achieved success on the pitch ahead of the UEFA Champions League play-off second leg at Bayer 04 on Tuesday, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET). Coach José Luis Mendilibar rested many of his regular starters.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 0-1 loss against TSG Hoffenheim on the 19th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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