Pape Gueye scored twice as Senegal came from behind to beat Sudan 3–1 on Saturday to become the first team to book a place in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
The former champions were stunned early in Tangier when Sudan took a shock lead just six minutes into the contest.
Aamir Abdallah finished off a swift counter-attack with a superb left-footed strike, curling the ball into the top corner after an assist from Walieldin Khdir.
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Senegal, however, responded with composure and authority. Gueye led the comeback, restoring parity before adding his second to put the West Africans firmly in control. Substitute Ibrahima Mbaye then sealed the victory late on, ending Sudan’s resistance.
While Gueye was the standout scorer, Senegal captain Sadio Mané also etched his name into the record books.
Mané provided two assists for Gueye’s second goal and Mbaye’s strike to move clear as the all-time leading assist provider in AFCON history with nine, two more than Côte d’Ivoire legend Yaya Touré.
Despite Sudan’s bright start, they were unable to mount a sustained response after falling behind, as Senegal comfortably saw out the match to underline their status as one of the tournament favourites.
Senegal will now face the winner of the tie between Mali and Tunisia for a place in the semi-finals.
