AFCON: Sudan grind out narrow win to keep hopes alive

Sudan defeated Equatorial Guinea 1-0 on Sunday to keep their hopes alive of qualifying to the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

Both teams came into the Group E fixture at the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca searching for their first points after suffering defeats in their opening matches.

The matchday two fixture was the first meeting between the two nations at the AFCON finals. Sudan, under coach Kwesi Appiah, threatened first when Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper Jesus Owono was forced to punch away a shot on goal.

Equatorial Guinea responded almost immediately when Santiago Eneme released forward Loren Zúñiga with a superb defence splitting pass, but the latter’s first effort was saved by Monged Abuzaid before his rebound attempt went off the bar.

Nzalang Nzalang were forced into an early change when striker Eneme was withdrawn from what looked like a hamstring injury. Jose Miranda came in to replace him in the 26th minute.

There was a scare in the 40th minute when Sudanese custodian Abuzaid collapsed to the ground while unchallenged, but quick intervention by the medical personel allowed the player to come back to his feet and continue to play.

In the closing stages of the first half, Sudan almost broke the deadlock when Mohamed Abdelrahman found a loose ball in the area but the captain’s effort was saved by Owono.

The second period started on a high note with both sides missing great chances to score. First, it was Sudan, before Equatorial Guinea put their effort over the bar.

In the 74th minute, Sudan finally took the lead when a free-kick from the right side was turned into the net by Equatorial Guinea defender Saúl Coco. The Falcons held on and took a big step closer to the Round of 16 ahead of Wednesday’s Group E finale against Burkina Faso. Equatorial Guinea, meanwhile, need nothing less than a victory when they clash with group favorites Algeria.

⚽ Follow Pan-Africa Football across platforms for real-time news and stories.