AFCON 2025: Riyad Mahrez' brace hands Algeria perfect start over 10-man Sudan

Algeria began their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign by securing a resounding 3-0 win over 10-man Sudan in a Group E match played at the Stade Prince Moulay Hassan in Rabat, Morocco.

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A brace from Mahrez and a goal by second-half substitute Ibrahim Maza were enough to hand Algeria a massive victory in their opening clash.

The Desert Foxes headed into the tournament as one of the favourites, seeking to replicate their 2019 triumph in what is their 21st appearance in the continental tourney.

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Sudan, on the other hand, were making a return to the tournament since 2021, where they fell short of winning any of their matches and failed to score in any of their last three AFCON opening matches.

With Burkina Faso securing a 2-1 victory over Equatorial Guinea in the other group match played earlier, Algeria were under pressure to secure a win and began the match with the right intensity.

The two-time AFCON champions took the lead in the first 90 seconds through former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez, who benefitted from a backheel pass from Hicham Boudaoui to slot the ball past Elneel Monged in the Sudan goal.

Sudan got a golden opportunity to equalise in the 10th minute through a counterattack, but on a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, Awad Yjobak tried to dribble past Luca Zidane, but the custodian’s little touch threw Yjobak off balance.

His follow-up attempt from a tight angle was blocked by the Granada goalkeeper when passing to Mo Eisa would have been the better option, as Sudan had a good spell on the ball leading to the quarter-hour mark.

Salaheldin Alhassan received the match’s first booking in the 14th minute for a cynical foul that prevented an Algerian quick transition.

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In the 24th minute, Ahmed Saeed attempted a long-range shot in a bid to restore parity, but his effort went far wide even as Algeria started dominating the match.

Sudan’s first shot on target came in the 38th minute when, on a counter, Yjobak received the ball in the penalty area, unleashed a shot that was parried by Zidane. The ball fell to Abdelrazig Omer, whose shot at goal went inches over the bar.

Sudan would then suffer a major setback a minute later when Alhassan was shown a red card for a second bookable offense following a challenge from behind to Ait Nouri, who had dribbled past him.

With a man advantage, Algeria were on the front foot, increasing the match’s pace and dominating play in the final minutes.

The Desert Foxes thought they had doubled their lead in the 42nd minute when Ramy Bensebaini met a cross from a short corner with a bicycle kick that found the back of the net, but the flag was up for offside.

Sudan stood tall to prevent further damage in the half and maintained the one-goal deficit as the teams headed to the break.

In the second half, Algeria picked up from where they left and were keen to increase their advantage, launching early attacks through Mahrez and Baghdad Bounedjah, but Sudan, who were now defending deep, prevented any early damage.

However, Sudan could not defend past the hour mark when Algeria launched a quick counterattack through the left channel, where Wolfsburg’s Mohamed Amoura saw Mahrez in space and engineered a perfect trivela pass that the Algerian captain controlled and shot past Mongeb to double Algeria’s lead.

Buoyed by the two goals, Algeria were toying with Sudan, who were now struggling to defend, even as the rains continued to pound in the stadium.

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As the 80th minute approached, Algeria reduced the tempo, opting to possess the ball through short and quick passes while Sudan sat deep to try and prevent more goals.

Unfortunately for Sudan, their efforts did not materialise as Maza, who had come on in the hour mark, gave Algeria the third goal from a shot inside the area to extend Sudan’s woes in the 85th minute.

Algeria had the chance to add a fourth in the 94th minute, but second-half substitute Adil Builbina took too many roll-overs to allow Mongeb to narrow his goal and make a save with the final whistle blowing shortly thereafter.

The win took Algeria to the top of Group E with a superior goal difference to Burkina Faso, as Sudan settled for bottom place.