Captain Riyad Mahrez scored in both halves as 2019 champions Algeria comfortably defeated Sudan 10-a-side 3-0 in the opening game of the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
On Wednesday, Mahrez scored the opening goal after just 82 seconds, to the delight of Algerian fans who made up the majority of the 16,115-strong crowd at Rabat’s Moulay El Hassan Stadium.
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The former Manchester City winger, now at Al Ahly in Saudi Arabia, scored his and his team’s second goal just after the hour mark, with Ibrahim Maza rounding off the win late in a game that had seen Algeria make the best start in Group E.
French legend Zinedine Zidane was also spotted in the crowd in the Moroccan capital. His parents are from Algeria, and their son Luca started in goal for the Desert Foxes.
When he appeared on the big screen at the ground, there was a loud cheer from the Algerian supporters, happy to see their team put up a convincing performance.
Algeria were defeated in the first round of the last two AFCON tournaments without a win, but they wasted no time trying to break the deadlock with their opponents outside their group.
Less than a minute into the match, Mahrez teed up Mohamed Amoula’s ball across the penalty area, which was hit by Hisham Boudaoui’s backheel. He touched before firing.
Zidane then made a good save at the feet of Sudan’s Yasser Awad Boshara, but the Algerian was far better.
Sudan’s chances of getting back into the game then significantly diminished when Salaherdin Adil received a second caution for knocking down Rayan Eyt Nouri and was sent off six minutes before the interval.
Ramy Bensebaini’s goal was then ruled out for offside, but Mahrez made it 2-0 in the 61st minute with a fine assist from Amoura out of the boot.
Mahrez, playing in his sixth AFCON, has scored eight goals in the tournament. He received a standing ovation from the Algerian fans in the final minutes of the match.
Bayer Leverkusen substitute Maza scored with five minutes left after knocking down Baghdad Bounejah, scoring Algeria’s 100th AFCON goal and making it 3-0.
Since lifting the trophy in 1970, Sudan have won just one of their 17 Nations Cup matches.
Burkina Faso appear on AFCON late show for match against Equatorial Guinea
Burkina Faso scored two goals deep in second-half stoppage time to secure a 2-1 victory over Equatorial Guinea in their first Group E match of the day.
Despite a red card early in the second half, Equatorial Guinea took an unexpected lead in the 85th minute thanks to substitute Marvin Anibault and were on track to achieve another of the surprising results that characterized their performance in the previous Nations Cup.
However, Burkina Faso fought back late on and leveled the scores with Georgi Minungu’s goal five minutes into stoppage time, before Bundesliga defender Edmond Tapsoba grabbed the point with a last-gasp effort.
Burkina Faso looked the stronger of the two teams, but despite Equatorial Guinea being down to 10 men, Dango Ouattara and Bertrand Traore’s attacks squandered chances in the Premier League, with Basilio N’Dion catching Traore’s heel with a dangerous tackle five minutes into the second half.
Due to their numerical superiority, Burkina Faso had countless chances at the Stade Mohammed V, with substitute Lassina Traore making her return to action after a long injury spell and firing the ball into the net with her first touch. However, his shot in the 71st minute was ruled offside.
Equatorial Guinea threatened another trademark upset with five minutes left when Aniebo headed in from a rare corner kick.
Equatorial Guinea, the second smallest country in the competition held in Morocco, caused a sensation in the last AFCON finals in Ivory Coast, defeating the hosts 4-0 in the group stage to finish top of their group, before losing to Guinea in the last 16.
They expertly slowed down the game and were on their way to yet another upset victory, but with eight minutes added, there was still hope for Burkina Faso.
Bayer Leverkusen defender Tapsoba was the key to turning the game around, playing a pass to Ouattara, who fell down in the box, but the ball was immediately diverted to Minungo, who slotted it in from an angle.
With less than a minute remaining, Burkina Faso made one final attack through Siriake Irie, whose cross from the right was squared away by Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper Jesus Owono and curled into Tapsoba’s head to send the winner home.
