Senegal came from behind to beat Sudan 3-1 and advance to the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations.
Published January 3, 2026
Pape Gueye scored twice and teenager Ibrahim Mbaye scored the winning goal four minutes after coming on as a substitute as Senegal beat Sudan 3-1 in Tangier in their first round of 16 match at the Africa Cup of Nations.
On Saturday, Senegal, reeling from Sudan’s early goal from Amir Abdallah, regained a 2-1 lead at half-time with a goal from Pape Gueye. Mbaye put the result in doubt in the 77th minute.
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Former champions Senegal will face either Mali or Tunisia in the quarter-finals in Casablanca later on Saturday.
This was an expected result since Senegal represents a country ravaged by civil war since April 2023 and is 99 places higher than Sudan in the world rankings.
Senegal defeated Botswana 3-0 in their final group match and made six changes to their starting lineup. A notable absence was the suspension of captain and centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly.
Ghanaian-born Sudanese coach Kwesi Appiah retained only forward Abdallah in the team that lost 2-0 to Burkina Faso.
It was the first meeting of the countries in the AFCON tournament. However, they are in the same 2026 World Cup qualifying group, with Senegal winning at home and drawing away.
Sudan took the lead in the sixth minute with a goal from Abdallah, a semi-professional player who plays for Australian second-division club Melbourne, and shocked Senegal.
It was a fantastic goal, as the Sudanese striker won the ball just inside the area, curled it over former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and into the net.
Despite failing to score in their three group matches, Sudan had qualified for the knockout stage as one of the top four countries in the top three. An own goal gave victory to Equatorial Guinea.
Senegal equalized shortly after Monjed Abouzaid made a brave save in the 29th minute to deny Nicholas Jackson, who is on loan at Bayern Munich from Chelsea.
Former African Player of the Year Sadio Mane set up Pape Gueye to level the score with a low shot into the top corner.
In the match, which was watched by Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe, a South African, Senegal continued to attack and Sudan barely managed to score an opening goal.
The Mauritanian referee pointed to the penalty spot after Ismaila Sarr was fouled by Abouzaid. However, after a lengthy VAR review, it was determined that the Senegalese player had been offside in the build-up, and the decision was reversed.
Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr then scored a goal, but the Sudanese’s let-off was ruled offside.
Abuzaid was constantly on the move and as half-time approached he extended his right hand and successfully pushed away Pape Gueye’s shot.
However, there was still time for Pape Gueye to score again, giving Senegal a half-time advantage in the Mediterranean city.
The goal was brilliantly scored by the midfielder from La Liga side Villarreal three minutes into stoppage time. Using his left foot, he side-footed a cross past Abuzaid and into the net.
Senegal brought on Mbaye midway through the second half and were firmly aiming for the third goal. He made an immediate impact, latching on to a long pass and beating Abuzaid at the near post.
The 17-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward represented France at age-restricted level but has since switched international allegiance to Senegal, where his father is from.
