Sudan will face defending champions Senegal in the Round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Burkina Faso in their final Group E match while Algeria completed the group stage with a 3-1 victory over Equatorial Guinea.
At the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, Burkina Faso struck early through Lassina Traore, who headed home from close range on 16 minutes to put his side in control. Sudan had a golden opportunity to level shortly after when they were awarded a penalty, but Algozoli Nooh fired the spot-kick wide, much to the disappointment of the largely Sudanese crowd.
Arsene Kouassi of French Ligue 1 side Lorient sealed the win late on, breaking into the box to score on 85 minutes and confirm Burkina Faso’s second-place finish in Group E behind Algeria.
Despite the loss — their second in three matches — Sudan progressed to the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams, thanks to their earlier 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea.
“Burkina Faso have a very good team. Most of their players are playing in top European sides, so automatically when you play against them it is not going to be an easy ride,” Sudan head coach Kwesi Appiah said after the match.
Burkina Faso, who finished runners-up at the 2013 AFCON, will now travel to Marrakesh to face the winners of Group F, which features reigning champions Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Mozambique.
Sudan Eye Historic Upset Against Senegal
Ranked 117th in the world, Sudan have won just two of their last 19 AFCON matches since lifting the trophy in 1970. Saturday’s Round of 16 encounter against Sadio Mane-led Senegal in Tangier will mark only Sudan’s second appearance in the knockout stages of the tournament since that historic triumph.
However, Appiah believes qualification alone is a major morale boost for a nation grappling with conflict since fighting erupted between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023.
“It is good for everyone in Sudan and it is also good for the players, as it is up to them to prove that they can play against a team like Senegal,” Appiah said.
“Senegal is a big football country and we will be sure to play a very good game.”
Algeria Cruise to Third Straight Win
In Rabat, Algeria underlined their title credentials by cruising past Equatorial Guinea 3-1 to finish Group E with a 100 per cent record.
With qualification already secured and Equatorial Guinea eliminated, Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic rang the changes, making nine alterations to his starting line-up ahead of a Round of 16 clash against the Democratic Republic of Congo next Tuesday.
The changes had little effect as Algeria raced into a three-goal lead within 14 first-half minutes. Zineddine Belaid opened the scoring with a header from a corner on 19 minutes, before Ibrahim Maza set up Fares Chaibi to double the advantage. Maza then capped an impressive display by heading in Algeria’s third.
Emilio Nsue, the top scorer at the previous AFCON, pulled one back for Equatorial Guinea, but it proved little more than a consolation.
