Two goals from Riyad Mahrez and one from Ibrahim Maza gave Algeria a dominant 3-0 victory over Sudan in one of the final matches of AFCON Matchday 1. It was a relatively easy game for the Fennec Foxes that was made even easier by a red card in the 39th minute for Sudan’s Salaheldin Adil, meaning they had to play with 10 men for 51 minutes plus extra time.
Baghdad Bounedjah started up top for Algeria in their 4231 set up, with Mohamed Amoura to his left and talisman Riyad Mahrez to his right and Fares Chaibi in attacking midfield. Mohamed Eisa started up top for Sudan in their 4411 formation, with Abdelrazig Omer just behind him. Red carded Adil was on the right flank and Abo Eisa was on the left.
From minute 1, the match between Algeria and Sudan burst into life with an immediate display of tactical intent from the Algerian side. The Fennec Foxes wasted no time establishing their rhythm, and within the first minute, Mohammed Amoura showed his dangerous intent by winning a free kick in his own half after a foul by Yaser Awad.
This early territorial control quickly translated into the scoreboard; in the 2nd minute, Hicham Boudaoui orchestrated a brilliant move to find Riyad Mahrez in the center of the box. The Algerian captain made no mistake, clinically drilling a left-footed shot into the bottom-left corner to give his team a 1–0 lead before Sudan had even settled into their defensive structure.
The opening fifteen minutes were a showcase of Algerian offensive pressure, evidenced by a flurry of corners in the 7th and 9th minutes as the Sudanese defense, led by Mustafa Karshoum and Mohamed Ering, struggled to clear their lines. Despite being pinned back, Sudan showed flashes of resilience.
In the 11th minute, Yaser Awad forced Algeria’s goalkeeper, Luca Zidane, into his first major action of the match, producing a sharp save in the bottom-left corner to keep the lead intact. The physical nature of the contest began to escalate shortly after, as Salah Adil was shown a yellow card in the 14th minute for a reckless challenge on Ramy Bensebaini.
As the first half progressed, the game became a series of tactical fouls and stop-start phases. Abdel Raouf and Salah Adil were frequently involved in defensive duties to halt the progression of Hicham Boudaoui and Ismaël Bennacer.
Algeria continued to search for a second goal, with Mohammed Amoura seeing a shot blocked in the 18th minute and Baghdad Bounedjah frequently finding himself in offside positions as he tried to break the Sudanese defensive line. Sudan’s Abuaagla Abdalla attempted to catch Zidane off guard with a speculative 35-yard effort in the 24th minute, but the shot lacked the necessary accuracy.
The defining moment of the first half arrived in the 39th minute. Already on a booking, Salah Adil committed another bad foul while trying to stop a surging run from Rayan Aït-Nouri on the left wing. The referee had no choice but to issue a second yellow card, followed by a red, leaving Sudan to play more than fifty minutes with only ten men.
Just before the red card, Sudan had nearly equalized through Yaser Awad, whose top-center strike was acrobatically saved by Zidane, followed by a close-range effort from Abdel Raouf that flew just over the bar. Despite these scares, Algeria took their 1–0 lead into the halftime interval.
The second half began with Algeria clearly instructed to exploit their numerical advantage. Within minutes of the restart, Hicham Boudaoui and Baghdad Bounedjah both missed the target from promising positions inside the box. The pressure was relentless, and Sudan’s Mohamed Ering was booked in the 52nd minute for a foul on Amoura as the visitors tried desperately to hold their defensive shape.
The fatigue of playing with ten men began to show in the 61st minute when Mohammed Amoura provided a pinpoint assist to Riyad Mahrez. The veteran winger notched his second of the night with a composed left-footed finish into the center of the net, effectively ending the contest as a competitive affair at 2–0.
Following the second goal, both managers turned to their benches to manage the final thirty minutes. Algeria introduced Ibrahim Maza and Jaouen Hadjam for Farès Chaïbi and Rayan Aït-Nouri respectively.
Sudan responded by bringing on fresh legs in attack, introducing Mohamed Abdelrahman and Al-Gozoli Nooh in the 66th minute. Algeria came within inches of a third goal in the 73rd minute when Mohammed Amoura rattled the right post with a fierce right-footed shot after being set up by Ismaël Bennacer. The woodwork was the only thing standing between Algeria and a rout during this period.
The match entered its final phase with Algeria maintaining total control. In the 78th minute, a double substitution saw Anis Hadj Moussa and Adil Boulbina enter the fray for Riyad Mahrez and Ismaël Bennacer.
These changes injected further energy into the Algerian attack, which culminated in an 85th-minute goal that put the result beyond any doubt. Baghdad Bounedjah used his aerial prowess to cushion a headed pass into the path of substitute Ibrahim Maza, who calmly slotted a left-footed effort into the bottom-left corner to make it 3–0.
In five minutes of added time, Algeria continued to hunt for more goals. Adil Boulbina was particularly active, forcing two significant saves from Sudan’s goalkeeper Monged El Neel in the 93rd and 95th minutes. El Neel’s performance in the final stages, which included saves at both the bottom-right and top-center of his goal, prevented the scoreline from becoming even more lopsided.
The match concluded with a blocked shot from Hicham Boudaoui in the 96th minute, sealing a dominant 3–0 victory for the Fennec Foxes. Algeria’s professional performance, highlighted by Mahrez’s brace and Maza’s late contribution, leaves them in a strong position following a match defined by their clinical efficiency and the pivotal first-half red card.
