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Sudan will face 2022 champions Senegal in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations after losing 2-0 to Burkina Faso in their final group game on Wednesday, while Algeria beat Equatorial Guinea 3-1.
Lassina Traore’s early strike put Burkina Faso ahead at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, before Algozoli Nooh missed a penalty for Sudan. Arsene Kouassi, of French Ligue 1 side Lorient, sealed Burkina Faso’s win late on.
Both teams had already qualified for the knockout stage from Group E behind Algeria. Burkina Faso needed to avoid defeat to advance in second place. The 2013 runners-up will go to Marrakesh for a last-16 tie against the winners of Group F, which concludes later Wednesday with reigning champions Ivory Coast vying for top spot alongside Cameroon and Mozambique.
It was Sudan’s second defeat in three outings, but a 1-0 victory against Equatorial Guinea was enough for them to advance as a best third-placed side.
Ranked 117th in the world, Sudan has won just two of 19 matches across six appearances at the Cup of Nations since lifting the trophy in 1970. This is just their second appearance in the knockout stages since then, and it would be a massive surprise if they defeated Sadio Mane’s Senegal in Tangier on Saturday.
However, getting so far is a major achievement for a country which has been ravaged by war since fighting broke out between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April 2023.
The injured Koffi was substituted at half-time, but replacement goalkeeper Kilian Nikiema was rarely troubled, and Kouassi broke into the area to make it 2-0 for Burkina Faso on 85 minutes.
Meanwhile, Algeria completed the group stage with a perfect record as the two-time former champions eased past Equatorial Guinea in Rabat. With Algeria already through as Group E winners and Equatorial Guinea eliminated, nothing was riding on the game in Morocco’s capital.
Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic made nine changes to his starting line-up ahead of a last-16 tie against the Democratic Republic of Congo next Tuesday. Despite the changes, Algeria ran away with the game, scoring three times in 14 first-half minutes.
