Pape Gueye struck twice as former champions Senegal came from behind to beat Sudan 3-1 in Tangier on Saturday evening and book their place in the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025.

An early moment of brilliance from Aamir Abdallah had given Sudan a shock lead, but Senegal responded with authority, Gueye netting a decisive brace before substitute Ibrahima Mbaye sealed the victory late on.

While Gueye took centre stage with his goals, history also beckoned for Sadio Mané. The Senegal captain provided two assists — for Gueye’s second goal and Mbaye’s strike — moving him clear at the top of the AFCON all-time assists chart with nine, two more than Côte d’Ivoire legend Yaya Touré.

Sudan made a dream start, stunning the defending champions just six minutes in. Abdallah finished a swift counter-attack with a sublime curling effort from his favoured left foot.

Senegal, however, remained composed and steadily grew into the contest. Their persistence paid off in the 29th minute when Gueye restored parity. Mané dispossessed Mohamed Abuaagla in midfield and quickly released Gueye, who calmly drove a low finish past the goalkeeper.

The equalizer sparked Senegal into life. Moments earlier, Gueye had tested the keeper from range, while Nicolas Jackson saw a close-range effort denied following a dangerous delivery from the left.

The Lions of Teranga completed the turnaround deep into first-half stoppage time. Jackson again played a key role, cutting the ball back for Gueye, who produced a delightful curling finish from inside the box to make it 2-1.

Sudan pushed for a response after the break and came agonizingly close just two minutes into the second half. However, Edouard Mendy produced a superb reflex save to deny Sheddy Barglan from close range.

That proved to be Sudan’s final meaningful threat. Senegal controlled proceedings thereafter and wrapped up the contest 13 minutes from time. Substitute Mbaye unleashed a powerful strike from inside the area after yet another incisive Mané assist to put the result beyond doubt.

Sudan were unable to mount a late comeback as Senegal comfortably saw out the match, underlining their credentials as serious contenders for the AFCON crown once again.

Post-match reaction

Pape Gueye - TotalEnergies Man of the Match: "I am happy to have won the award and obviously it was the collective team effort that led to the award so this is for the entire team. I am very happy about our win and most importantly how we reacted after going down 1-0. It was tough to come back but with the determination shown by my colleagues and I we managed to win the game. We are through to the quarter-finals and it will be tougher so we have to prepare for it with the same big focus we have had since the start of the competition."

Senegal coach Pape Thiaw: "We played against this very disciplined Sudan team and they showed that they got to stage by merit. We needed to dig deep to come from a goal down to be able to win the match. I give credit to my players for the way they focused on the game and recovered to win the match. Now we will focus on the next match by correcting some of the mistakes we noted in this game and pursue our goals with intensity."

Sudan coach Kwesi Appiah: "Of course I am disappointed with the result of the game but proud of the effort of my players throughout this competition. We played against a very experienced Senegal team but we showed our quality. Despite the result tonight I am sure the Sudanese people know that we came to this competition and proudly represented them." (CAFonline)