Algeria launched their Africa Cup of Nations campaign in emphatic fashion on Wednesday, cruising to a 3–0 victory over Sudan in their opening Group E match, with captain Riyad Mahrez netting twice in Rabat. The 2019 champions wasted no time asserting their dominance at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium, as Mahrez struck just 82 seconds after kick-off. The Al-Ahli winger finished calmly after a clever build-up involving Mohamed Amoura and Hicham Boudaoui, igniting celebrations among the largely Algerian crowd of 16,115. Algeria controlled possession for most of the encounter and were rarely troubled, with goalkeeper Luca Zidane—son of French legend Zinedine Zidane, who was present in the stands—called into action only sparingly. Sudan’s task became significantly harder six minutes before half-time when Salaheldin Adil was shown a second yellow card for a challenge on Rayan Aït-Nouri, reducing the East Africans to 10 men. Although Ramy Bensebaini had a second goal disallowed for offside, Algeria maintained their pressure and were rewarded again in the 61st minute. Mahrez connected with a perfectly weighted outside-of-the-foot pass from Amoura to score his second of the night and his eighth goal in AFCON history. The Desert Foxes sealed the win late on when substitute Ibrahim Maza fired home after a knockdown from Baghdad Bounedjah, marking Algeria’s 100th goal at the Africa Cup of Nations. Mahrez was later substituted to a standing ovation, as Algeria secured a morale-boosting start after disappointing group-stage exits in the last two editions of the tournament. The result extended Sudan’s long wait for success at the finals, with just one win in their last 17 AFCON matches since lifting the trophy in 1970. Earlier in Group E, Burkina Faso staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Equatorial Guinea 2–1 in Casablanca. Despite Equatorial Guinea taking the lead late on through Marvin Anieboh, goals from Georgi Minoungou and Edmond Tapsoba deep into stoppage time sealed a stunning turnaround. Algeria will now look to build on this strong start as the race for qualification from Group E gathers pace.
AFCON 2025: Mahrez Double Powers Algeria Past Sudan in Group E Opener
