RABAT, Morocco
Algeria made a confident start to their TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 campaign with a commanding 3–0 victory over Sudan on Wednesday evening at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat, in their opening Group E fixture.
The Fennecs, champions in 2019, secured their first AFCON finals win since that memorable triumph in Cairo thanks to a brace from captain Riyad Mahrez and a late goal from substitute Ibrahim Maza, underlining their renewed ambition on the continental stage.
Algeria wasted no time in asserting their authority, opening the scoring after just two minutes when Mahrez finished calmly following a well-weighted pass from Hicham Boudaoui, catching Sudan off guard in the early exchanges.
Sudan’s task became even more difficult shortly before the break when Salah El-Din Adel was sent off in the 39th minute after receiving a second yellow card, allowing Algeria to head into half-time with a 1–0 advantage and full control of the contest.
After the restart, Vladimir Petkovic’s side increased the tempo and doubled their lead in the 61st minute through Mahrez once again, this time finishing off a brilliant assist from Mohamed Amine Amoura, before Ibrahim Maza completed the victory in the 85th minute following a pass from Baghdad Bounedjah.
The result sees Algeria top Group E with three points, level with Burkina Faso, while Sudan and Equatorial Guinea remain without points after the opening round.
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