December 28, (THEWILL) — Sudan claimed a vital 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea in their Africa Cup of Nations Group E encounter on Sunday in Casablanca. The decisive moment arrived in the 74th minute when Torino defender Saul Coco inadvertently turned the ball into his own net whilst attempting to clear a Sudan free-kick alongside teammate Luis Asue.
The result leaves Sudan on three points from two matches, significantly improving their chances of progressing to the knockout stages. Equatorial Guinea, ranked 97th in the FIFA world rankings compared to Sudan’s 117th, have now lost both their opening games in the group. Manager Kwesi Appiah’s side face Burkina Faso in their final group fixture on Wednesday.
Sudan last lifted the AFCON trophy in 1970 but have struggled at the tournament since then. This victory marks only their second win in 18 matches across six appearances over the past five decades. Their last knockout stage participation came in 2012 when they reached the quarter-finals before falling to Zambia, who went on to win the competition.
The team is competing at this year’s tournament in Morocco, whilst their home nation continues to suffer from war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group. The conflict erupted in April 2023 and has caused widespread devastation across Sudan.
Appiah’s squad now require a positive result against Burkina Faso to confirm their place in the last 16. Qualification would represent a significant achievement for a nation ranked outside the top 100 globally and enduring extraordinary circumstances off the pitch.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
