On a festive Christmas Eve in Rabat, the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations champions, Algeria, made a resounding statement of intent for the 2025 tournament, defeating Sudan 3-0 in a Group E opener that combined early brilliance with patient, controlled domination.
In front of a capacity crowd of 16,115 at the Stade Prince Moulay El Hassan, where French football legend Zinedine Zidane watched from the stands, his son Luca starting in goal for Algeria, captain Riyad Mahrez led from the front.
The veteran forward, now plying his trade with Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, scored a goal in each half to cement his place in Algerian football history before substitute Ibrahim Maza applied the final flourish with five minutes remaining.
The victory, Algeria’s first in the finals since their 2019 triumph, propelled them to the top of the group on goal difference, level on three points with Burkina Faso, who had earlier staged a stunning last-gasp comeback to defeat Equatorial Guinea.
The match was decided almost as soon as it began, with the Desert Foxes striking a devastating early blow. With just eighty-two seconds on the clock, Algeria sliced through the Sudanese defense. A flowing move involving Baghdad Bounedjah and Mohamed Amoura found Hicham Boudaoui in the penalty area, and with an improvised and clever backheel, he set the ball perfectly for the onrushing Mahrez.
The captain took a single touch to control his momentum before curling a precise left-footed shot into the bottom-left corner of the net, sending the Algerian-dominated crowd into raptures and settling any lingering nerves from past tournament disappointments. For Mahrez, it was a moment of pure class, a hallmark of his career, and it immediately shifted the entire tactical burden onto a Sudanese side ranked 83 places below their opponents in the world rankings.
To their credit, Sudan, who have been forced to play all their matches outside of Khartoum since civil war erupted in April 2023, did not fold after the early setback. They responded with spirit, and striker Yaser Awad Boshara twice tested Algeria’s debutant goalkeeper, Luca Zidane, who looked composed in handling the efforts.
For a brief period, the match appeared competitive. However, any realistic hope of a Sudanese resurgence was extinguished six minutes before the halftime whistle.
Defender Salah Adil, who had already been booked for a needless challenge on Ramy Bensebaini in the 17th minute, received a second yellow card for a poorly timed tackle on Rayan Ait-Nouri. His dismissal left the Falcons of Jediane to play the remaining 51 minutes with only ten men, a task of Herculean difficulty against a side of Algeria’s technical quality.
Despite their numerical advantage, Algeria initially struggled to convert their dominance into clear chances in the second half. Sudan’s defense, now organized into a deep and resilient block, held firm, and goalkeeper Monged El Neel produced a superb save with his feet to deny Bounedjah from close range.
The patience preached by coach Vladimir Petkovic, appointed after the failure of the 2023 campaign, was being tested. The breakthrough, when it came, was worth the wait and was a product of sublime individual skill. In the 61st minute, Mohamed Amoura, a constant threat with his pace, received the ball on the left flank and, with the outside of his right boot, delivered a sensational, defense-splitting pass into the path of Mahrez.
The captain, showcasing the ice-cool composure that has defined his career, took a touch to steady himself before slotting the ball calmly past the advancing keeper. It was his eighth goal in the Africa Cup of Nations, making him Algeria’s all-time top scorer in the competition, surpassing the legendary Lakhdar Belloumi.
With the match secure, Petkovic had the luxury of withdrawing his iconic captain to a standing ovation with twelve minutes remaining, preserving his energy for the tougher tests ahead. Algeria continued to press, and Amoura rattled the post with a stunning volley from a clever corner routine.
The third goal, which arrived in the 85th minute, was a simpler affair but carried its own significance. A cross into the box was headed down by Bounedjah into the path of substitute Ibrahim Maza, who made no mistake from just outside the six-yard box.
The strike was historic, marking Algeria’s 100th goal in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations and capping a perfect night for the North African side.
For Sudan, the defeat is a harsh beginning to a tournament they fought valiantly to reach under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Coach James Kwesi Appiah will need to rally his squad quickly ahead of their next fixture against Equatorial Guinea, a match that now takes on critical importance for both teams after they each suffered opening defeats.
Algeria, meanwhile, sits atop Group E but faces an immediate and formidable challenge. Their next opponent is Burkina Faso, who displayed incredible fortitude by scoring twice in stoppage time to snatch a 2-1 victory over Equatorial Guinea earlier on Wednesday.
The Stallions, led by their heroic defender and Man of the Match Edmond Tapsoba, who scored the 98th-minute winner, will present a far sterner test. That clash, set for Sunday in Rabat, will likely decide the group winner and offer a true measure of whether this Algerian side, orchestrated by Mahrez and solidified under Petkovic, has truly banished the ghosts of recent tournaments and reclaimed the pedigree of champions.