Burkina Faso defeated Sudan 2-0 in the African Cup of Nations and finished second in Group E.
Sudan will now face 2022 champions Senegal in the last 16 of the African Cup of Nations after losing 2-0 to Burkina Faso in their final group match and Algeria defeating Equatorial Guinea 3-1.
Lassina Traore’s opening goal put Burkina Faso ahead at Casablanca’s Mohammed V Stadium on Wednesday, but Algozoli Nou missed a penalty and missed Sudan’s chance to equalize.
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Arsène Kouassi, who plays for French Ligue 1 side Lorient, sealed the victory for Burkina Faso in the closing stages.
Both teams had already decided to advance to the knockout stage from Group E, following Algeria. Burkina Faso needed to avoid defeat at all costs in order to move up to second place.
The 2013 runners-up will face the winners of Group F in Marrakech for a last-16 tie, with the final round ending later on Wednesday, with reigning champions Ivory Coast vying for top spot alongside Cameroon and Mozambique.
Although it was Sudan’s second loss in their last three games, the 1-0 win against Equatorial Guinea was enough to emerge as one of the best teams in third place.
Sudan, ranked 117th in the world, have played in the Nations Cup six times since lifting the trophy in 1970, winning just two of their 19 matches.
This is only the second time they have reached the finals since then and it would be a big surprise if they can beat Sadio Mane’s Senegal in Tangier on Saturday.
But it is a significant achievement for a country that has been ravaged by war since fighting broke out between Sudan’s military and paramilitary rapid support forces in April 2023.
Shakhtar Donetsk forward Traore took the lead in the 16th minute by heading in Stefan Aziz Ki’s chipped cross, with the Burkina Faso side showing seven changes since their last match.
Sudan were awarded a penalty midway through the first half, much to the delight of their fans, who made up the majority of the 10,084-strong crowd.
Burkina Faso goalkeeper Herve Coffi, who had been struggling with an injury, clumsily jumped out and beat Algozoli.
The Sudanese winger stood up, but his spot-kick just went wide of the left post.
The injured Kofi was substituted at half-time, but substitute goalkeeper Kylian Nikiema had little trouble and Burkina Faso made it 2-0 in the 85th minute when Kouassi broke into the area.
Meanwhile, Algeria finished the group stage with a perfect record as the two-time former champions easily defeated Equatorial Guinea in Rabat.
With Algeria already emerging as winners of Group E and Equatorial Guinea eliminated, there was nothing exciting about the match in the Moroccan capital.
Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic has made nine changes to his starting lineup ahead of next Tuesday’s match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last-16 tie.
Despite the substitutions, Algeria escaped with three goals in 14 minutes in the first half.
Defender Zinedine Belaid opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a header from a corner kick, before Ibrahim Maza fired Fares Chaibi to make it 2-0.
Bayer Leverkusen’s impressive Maza then headed his team’s third goal, while Emilio Nsué pulled one back for Equatorial Guinea.
This was his first legal start in the African Cup of Nations after an 11-year ineligible career with Equatorial Guinea.
Ensoué, 35, was the top scorer in the last tournament with five goals, but FIFA ruled he was ineligible to play for Equatorial Guinea in 2024 and was banned from playing for the national team for six months.
Nsue was finally allowed to compete in March this year.
He was injured en route to the Africa Cup and missed the team’s opening match against Burkina Faso (2-1), coming on as a substitute in the team’s 1-0 loss against Sudan. He made his first start against Algeria on Wednesday and scored from a difficult angle to salvage a point.
It was certain that this would be Ensue’s last appearance in this tournament. Before the match, it was already certain that Equatorial Guinea would finish at the bottom of Group E.
