Young Mbaye clinches Senegal's AFCON knockout win against Sudan
Seventeen-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye netted just four minutes into his substitute appearance to secure a 3-1 win for Senegal against Sudan in Tangiers on Saturday, marking the opening Africa Cup of Nations last-16 encounter.
The Paris Saint-Germain striker, who previously featured for France at youth international levels, has now committed to Senegal, the birthplace of his father.
The former title holders from Senegal will next take on either Mali or Tunisia in the quarter-finals, with those two sides clashing in Casablanca later that day.
After an initial setback from Aamir Abdallah's opener for Sudan, Senegal fought back to hold a 2-1 lead at the interval thanks to a double from Pape Gueye. Mbaye then sealed the result with a goal in the 77th minute.
This outcome was hardly surprising, given Senegal's position 99 spots above Sudan in the global rankings. The latter side hails from a nation gripped by civil conflict since April 2023.
Senegal shuffled their lineup with six alterations from the side that triumphed 3-0 over Botswana in their concluding group fixture. A key omission was their banned skipper and defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
Sudan's manager Kwesi Appiah, originally from Ghana, kept just one starter from their 2-0 defeat to Burkina Faso, namely forward Abdallah.
The nations had not previously crossed paths at an AFCON event. They did share a 2026 World Cup qualifying section, however, where Senegal prevailed at home and tied on the road.
Sudan stunned Senegal by forging ahead in the sixth minute via Abdallah, who balances semi-pro duties with a second-division outfit in Melbourne, Australia.
The strike was exquisite, as the Sudanese forward collected the ball inside the box and bent it over ex-Chelsea shot-stopper Edouard Mendy into the goal.
Ismaila Sarr unfortunate
Sudan advanced to the knockout rounds as one of the top four third-place finishers, even though they failed to find the net in any of their group games. Their progression came courtesy of an own goal in the match versus Equatorial Guinea.
A courageous stop by Monged Abuzaid in the 29th minute denied Nicolas Jackson, currently loaned to Bayern Munich from Chelsea, yet Senegal levelled shortly afterwards.
Sadio Mane, once named African footballer of the year, provided the assist for Pape Gueye, who restored parity with a placed effort into the bottom corner.
Senegal dominated proceedings with relentless pressure, while Sudan offered scant threat in attack during the game attended by Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe of South Africa.
The Mauritanian official initially awarded a penalty when Ismaila Sarr was challenged by Abuzaid, but a prolonged VAR check overturned it due to an offside infringement by a Senegalese player earlier in the move.
Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr later found the target, only for an offside flag to disallow it, sparing Sudan further trouble.
Abuzaid was kept busy and impressively diverted a Pape Gueye effort with his extended right arm as the break neared.
Pape Gueye still managed a second goal before the interval, handing Senegal the edge in this North African port city.
The Villarreal midfielder from La Liga crafted a fine finish three minutes into stoppage time, using his left foot to direct a cross beyond Abuzaid.
Mbaye entered the fray around the second half's midpoint as Senegal pushed for a decisive third strike. He delivered right away, collecting a lofted ball and slotting past Abuzaid at the near upright.