Dar es Salaam, Oct. 16 -- DAR ES SALAAM: TAIFA Stars pace to secure early qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals was delayed after suffering a 2-0 loss against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.

Substitute Meshack Elia netted a brace to guarantee his sides qualification for the next years AFCON finals to be held in Morocco.

It was their fourth consecutive win and have bagged 12 points in the process to still top Group H of the qualifiers with two games to go before ending the campaign.

However, Stars kicked off the match with confidence getting three corners in space of the opening 5 minutes but none of them made the difference.

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