Algeria Secures Spot in AFCON Knockout Rounds, Cameroon Draws Against Ivory Coast
Algeria secured their place in the Africa Cup of Nations knockout phase on Sunday, becoming the third nation after Egypt and Nigeria to do so, thanks to a narrow 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in Rabat, sealed by a penalty from Riyad Mahrez.
The title holders Ivory Coast could not match them following a 1-1 draw with Cameroon in an energetic clash in Marrakesh.
In other matches, Mozambique claimed their inaugural AFCON win after 39 years by defeating Gabon 3-2, while Sudan revived their hopes for the last-16 with a 1-0 triumph against Equatorial Guinea in Casablanca.
Skipper Mahrez slotted home from the penalty spot during the first half, allowing Algeria to prevail in a physical encounter against a resilient Burkina Faso team.
The decisive penalty came after Manchester Citys Rayan Ait-Nouri was fouled in the box.
Mahrez dispatched his 23rd-minute effort flawlessly, building on his two goals in the earlier 3-0 win over Sudan, bringing his AFCON total to three for this edition.
The ex-Leicester City and Manchester City forward has now scored nine times in the competition, setting an Algeria record.
Champions in 1990 and 2019, Algeria sit atop Group E with a perfect six points from two outings, unbeaten and yet to leak a goal, fulfilling expectations as pre-tournament contenders under Vladimir Petkovic.
Among the 18,522 spectators was French icon Zinedine Zidane, watching his son Luca in goal for the Desert Foxes, just as he did during the Sudan victory.
"We anticipated a challenging game. We battled fiercely, and securing the win was paramount. Qualification is now ours, which was our primary objective," commented Algerias forward Ibrahim Maza, named man of the match.
"We realised they would pose a stern test, so we resolved to fight back, get physical, and tackle aggressively, which we executed effectively today."
Sudan Revival
Sudan improved their qualification prospects in the group with a win over Equatorial Guinea, courtesy of an own goal by Saul Coco in a gritty match.
The unfortunate Torino defender deflected the ball into his own net in the 74th minute as teammate Luis Asue tried to clear a free-kick.
Sudan, who hosted and triumphed in the 1970 AFCON, marked only their second win in 18 games across six appearances since then.
Despite ongoing turmoil in their homeland from a civil conflict between the army and Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, Sudan participated in Morocco.
In Group F, Manchester Uniteds Amad Diallo netted for the defending champions Ivory Coast in their draw with Cameroon, leaving both sides level at the top.
Diallo found the net in the 51st minute for his second goal of the tournament, after scoring the decider against Mozambique days prior.
However, parity was restored just five minutes later when Junior Tchamadeus effort deflected off Ghislain Konan to equalise for the five-time winners Cameroon.
Ivory Coast and Cameroon both hold four points, ahead of Mozambique on three.
Mozambique broke their long drought for an AFCON success by edging Gabon in a high-scoring battle in the southern port city of Agadir.
The Mambas entered the game with four draws and 12 losses from their six prior tournament outings since 1986.
"This marks a historic moment. We surmounted numerous hurdles to reach this point and deliver an unforeseen result," stated Mozambique coach Chiquinho Conde.
"Not even our keenest supporters foresaw a win over Gabon. Many claimed Mozambique could never prevail. It was my privilege to guide the team to this breakthrough."
Strikes by Faisal Bangal, Geny Catamo, and Diogo Calila secured victory for Mozambique in a fluctuating contest where they held a 2-1 lead at the break.
Gabon responded through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alex Moucketou-Moussounda, erasing two-goal leads on each occasion, but ultimately fell to a second consecutive defeat after losing to Cameroon.