Sudan reignited their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Equatorial Guinea in a tense Group E encounter at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, securing their first points of the tournament.
In a match defined by fine margins and defensive discipline, the breakthrough arrived in unfortunate fashion for Equatorial Guinea.
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With 16 minutes remaining, Mohamed Eisa’s teasing free-kick caused panic in the penalty area, and defender Saúl Coco inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net, handing Sudan a priceless lead.
Both teams had come into the contest desperate to recover from opening-day defeats, and the early exchanges reflected the pressure.
Equatorial Guinea enjoyed the first clear opening in the 12th minute when Pedro Obiang fired over from inside the box, while Sudan responded late in the first half through Mohamed Abdelrahman, who broke free but dragged his effort narrowly wide.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with chances scarce and neither side able to impose sustained control.
Equatorial Guinea threatened through José Nabil Ondo and José Machín early after the restart, but Sudan goalkeeper Monged El Neel stood firm to keep his side level.
The decisive moment shifted the momentum Sudan’s way, and they showed maturity beyond their AFCON pedigree to protect the advantage.
Equatorial Guinea threw on veteran striker Emilio Nsue in search of inspiration, and the all-time top scorer nearly delivered, flashing a shot just wide before missing another gilt-edged chance in stoppage time after good work from Luís Asué.
Despite late pressure, Sudan remained compact and organised, seeing out the closing stages to claim a victory that could prove crucial in the group standings.
The result marked the first AFCON finals meeting between the two nations, coming years after Equatorial Guinea had beaten Sudan twice during qualification for the 2019 tournament. This time, however, Sudan had the final say.
Sudan will look to build on this momentum when they face Burkina Faso on December 31, while Equatorial Guinea must regroup quickly against Algeria as they seek to avoid an unprecedented third straight group-stage defeat at the Africa Cup of Nations.
