Senegal 3-1 Sudan: Gueye double sees off potential last 16 scare

Pape Gueye scored a brace as Senegal came from a goal down to avoid a surprise last 16 exit and beat Sudan 3-1 at the African Cup of Nations.

Sudan’s hopes of an unlikely victory were boosted when Aamir Abdallah’s stunning strike gave them an early lead, but Gueye scored twice ahead of half-time before Ibrahim Mbaye secured the win in the 77th minute.

Abdallah opened the scoring after just six minutes, curling the ball from the edge of the box and into the top left corner as Senegal were caught cold in the early stages at Grand Stade de Tanger.

However, they began to find their rhythm, with Ismaila Sarr testing Bakhit Khamis twice before Gueye restored parity. Sadio Mane set the midfielder off towards goal, and the Villarreal man found the bottom-right corner with ease.

And he was on the scoresheet again in first-half stoppage time, finding the back of the net with a first-time finish from Nicolas Jackson’s cutback, which came not long after Senegal saw a penalty decision reversed following a long VAR check.

Sheddy Barglan almost punished a slow start to the second half by Senegal, though he was thwarted by an onrushing Edouard Mendy, and Mbaye then went on to book their spot in the quarter-finals with an emphatic finish at the near post.

FULL-TIME!

A 3-1 win for Senegal in the Round of 16. #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 | @tecnomobile pic.twitter.com/d7PgGBZAjR

— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) January 3, 2026

Data Debrief: Mane the unsung hero for Senegal

Despite their slow start, it proved to be a comfortable victory for Senegal in the end. They produced 1.68 expected goals (xG) from 14 shots to Sudan’s 0.43 from eight attempts.

Senegal are now unbeaten in their last 15 AFCON matches (W10 D5) since losing the 2019 final to Algeria (1-0). Only Nigeria (16 from 1992 to 2002) and Egypt (24 from 2004 to 2017) have ever enjoyed longer runs without defeat at the finals.

Mane was the quiet catalyst for Senegal’s turnaround. Along with his two assists, he created five chances, won six of his 11 duels, regained possession seven times and completed 19 passes in the final third, leading his side in all of these statistics.