Senegal have booked their place in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals after Pape Gueye’s first-half brace helped them come from behind to beat Sudan.
The match was Senegal’s to lose as they served as the opposition in this, Sudan’s first-ever knockout match at an AFCON tournament, and they made no mistake despite trailing early to Aamir Abdallah’s smartly-hit opener.
But the scoreline was reversed before the break as Gueye finished a pair of chances, and 17-year-old Paris Saint-Germain starlet Ibrahim Mbaye put a final nail in the coffin late on with an emphatic near-post finish.
Veteran forward Sadio Mane and Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr were the creative masterminds behind the comeback, with the former’s assist for Gueye’s first of the night making him the most productive playmaker in the tournament’s history.
Sudan lucked out of the group stage without scoring a goal of their own accord, but set about unsettling Senegal from the first whistle.
Abdallah spearheaded that offensive, dribbling at Ismail Jakobs whenever the opportunity presented itself, and his efforts were promptly rewarded as he confounded Edouard Mendy with a wonderful curling effort after just six minutes.
And they did not let up after the opener, continuing to pin the Senegal back line as Abdallah came close to doubling his side’s advantage.
But the Lions of Teranga regained their footing before they could do so, and Ismaila Sarr and Sadio Mane set about bringing the match level.
They did so through Gueye’s quickfire double, capped with a sublime first-time finish deep in first-half injury time, but Sudan would not say die. They roared out of the gates in the second half and Sheddy Barglan forced a fantastic save from Mendy shortly after the break.
The second half followed a parallel structure to the first, though, and Sudan soon lost the momentum which came with their fast start. Senegal only improved as the Falcons ran out of steam, and Mbaye marked the swing with a wonderful finish late on to extend his side’s lead to an insurmountable margin.
