AFCON 2025 in Morocco shapes up as a wide‑open tournament where holders Ivory Coast arrive with a target on their backs and a cluster of heavyweights – Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria and Cameroon – all capable of dethroning them. The quality of squads, the depth of tactical ideas and the tournament’s expanded 24‑team format mean the question is no longer “Can anyone stop Ivory Coast?” but “Who will be brave enough to seize the moment when it comes?” Setting the stage in Morocco AFCON 2025 runs from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, with 24 teams competing across six Moroccan cities and nine stadiums. The tournament keeps the now‑familiar structure of six groups of four, with the top two and the four best third‑placed teams reaching the round of 16, which often produces chaotic, upset‑filled knockout brackets. The hosts Morocco headline Group A with Mali, Zambia and Comoros, while Ivory Coast are drawn into a star‑studded Group F with Cameroon, Gabon and Mozambique, ensu...
Reds suffer their first defeat of the season in unexpected fashion.
Slot suffered his first setback as Reds manager, as Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the game's sole goal for the visitors midway through the second half.
Liverpool entered the game with three wins in a row and had not allowed a goal in the Premier League season, but they returned from the international break to deliver their poorest performance of the season.
"The result is the most frustrating, and we can't be happy with how the game went," he stated afterwards. "It was a stop-start game, and we barely produced any opportunities.
"We only have to look at ourselves; we have to improve. We lost the ball far too often in this region. It wasn't good enough. We need to improve our ballhandling.
"We did not make sound decisions or execute them properly. In general, we defended effectively, but the two quick players [Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga] came on and made things difficult. We took many risks, but the ultimate result was a very good goal."
After conceding his first goal of the season, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson criticized Forest's attitude to the game.
"It was a shame," he commented. "Losing points at home is never ideal, but our opponent today solely wanted to defend and play for the long ball.
"We made it too easy for them when they scored. We did not play well defensively. We couldn't produce much today because we lacked quality and required more energy. We lost three points today unintentionally.
As he continued: "All the opportunities we had were not clear enough and they defended great, they threw themselves in front of the ball."
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