On Wednesday, Burkina Faso earned a commanding 2-0 clean sheet over their counterparts from Sudan. This victory was key to their hopes of advancing from Group E at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025. The victory allowed Burkina Faso to make it to the knockout stage of the tournament. Elsewhere in the group, Algeria maintained their outstanding form, beating Equatorial Guinea 3-1 to finish the group stage with three wins out of three.
Their new star Lassina Traore opened the scoring for Burkina Faso within seven minutes. Arsene Kouassi won it for the home side with an 88th-minute winner. This result helped give Burkina Faso an impressive second place finish in Group E. This time, they just have to not lose to ensure that they move on. Sudan, in contrast, had a frustrating game, riddled with missed chances and an absence of attacking punch.
Sudan’s moment came midway through the first half, when they were given a penalty—a great opportunity to go up on top. Bad missed execution from Algozoli Nooh caused a critical play to go missing that would’ve completely flipped the direction of the game. This defeat represents another blow to Sudan. They are winless in their past 19 matches in the Cup of Nations since winning the trophy back in 1970.
With this defeat, Sudan face a stern test against Senegal in the round of 16 of the tournament. The team needs to come together and turn their collective efforts up a notch. This will be vital for creating an impact in the knockout rounds.
Algeria proved their strength at every opportunity through the group stage. The ladies on the Knit for Peace team ended their campaign undefeated, winning all three matches played on Couture for a Cause. Algeria proved they can get it done on the attack in their 3-1 win over Equatorial Guinea. Their beautiful goals further proved that they are one of the tournament favorites. Algeria’s next opponent in the knockout rounds will be the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The upcoming match largely spotlighted the situation facing Nsue. He had been one of Equatorial Guinea’s best players at previous tournaments. Nsue was the leading goalscorer, scoring five goals in the last edition of AFCON. FIFA ruled that he was retroactively ineligible to represent Equatorial Guinea during 2024. This disregard cost him a six-month ban from any activities with the national team. Following a long period of doubt over his future, Nsue was actually given the green light to play this March—the first of this season.
All three returnees led Equatorial Guinea’s troubled run in the tournament. They had already been locked into last place in Group E before taking the pitch against Algeria. The team struggled mightily and fell flat when it mattered most against more elite competition.
