By Ayomide Otitoju
Senegal booked their place in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory over Sudan in Tangiers on Saturday, thanks to a late goal from 17-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward, who previously represented France at youth levels before switching allegiance to Senegal, came off the bench to score four minutes after entering, sealing the win for the former champions. Senegal will face either Mali or Tunisia, who meet later in Casablanca, in the quarter-finals.
Sudan shocked Senegal early with a sixth-minute opener from forward Aamir Abdallah, a semi-professional who plays in Australia’s second tier. Abdallah curled the ball over Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy after taking possession just inside the area, giving the underdogs a dream start.
However, Senegal responded quickly. Nicolas Jackson’s effort was initially denied by Sudan’s goalkeeper Monged Abuzaid, but Pape Gueye equalised almost immediately after a set-up from Sadio Mane, sending the ball low into the corner. Gueye added a second for Senegal three minutes into added time in the first half, side-footing a cross past Abuzaid to put the hosts 2-1 ahead at halftime.
Senegal dominated the second half but had moments of frustration, including a reversed penalty decision after VAR spotted an offside in the build-up and another offside call against Ismaila Sarr. Mbaye’s introduction midway through the second half provided the decisive third goal, as he latched onto a long pass and slotted past Abuzaid at the near post in the 77th minute.
The result was largely expected, with Senegal ranked 99 places above Sudan in the FIFA rankings. Senegal made six changes from their 3-0 group-stage win over Botswana, missing suspended captain Kalidou Koulibaly, while Sudan coach Kwesi Appiah retained only Abdallah from their 2-0 loss to Burkina Faso.
This marked the first AFCON meeting between the two nations, though they were in the same 2026 World Cup qualifying group, with Senegal winning at home and drawing away. Sudan had reached the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams, despite scoring only once in three group matches.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe watched the match from Tangiers as Senegal controlled possession and created multiple scoring opportunities, ultimately advancing comfortably to the last eight.
