Already in the second minute of the game, after a pass by Hicham Budaui with his heel, Mahrez sent the ball into the goal. In the continuation of the first half, Salaheldin Alhassan received two yellow cards and left the Sudan team with ten men.
Mahrez doubled Algeria’s lead in the 61st minute after Mohamed Amour’s pass in the penalty area, and in the 85th minute after a cross in the penalty area, Bagdad Bouneja headed the ball to Ibrahim Maz, who scored the last goal of the game.
The goal of the Algerian national team was guarded by Luca, the son of the famous French footballer Zinedine Zidane, who represents the homeland of his grandparents, although he once played for the French youth national teams.
In the second match of Group E, Burkina Faso beat Equatorial Guinea with a score of 2:1 (0:0). In the 50th minute of the match, Equatorial Guinea was reduced to ten men as Basilio Ndong was sent off for a foul. This did not prevent the team from taking the lead in the 85th minute after Marvin Anjebo’s kick. Georgi Minungu and Edmonds Tapsoba scored for the Burkina Faso team during the compensation period and secured the victory.
Meanwhile, in Sub-Group F, reigning champions Cote d’Ivoire beat Mozambique 1-0 (0-0). Amad Diallo scored the only goal in the 49th minute. The second game of the group also ended with one goal scored, in which Cameroon was superior to Gabon with 1:0 (1:0). The victory was ensured for the Cameroonians by the goal scored by Carl Et Young in the sixth minute. The first round ended with Wednesday’s matches, after which all national teams played one game each.
24 teams are participating in the tournament, divided into six groups of four, with the two best teams of each group reaching the round of 16, as well as the four best third place winners.
The African Cup of Nations is being held for the 35th time. In 2024, the Ivory Coast national team became the winner, beating Nigeria 2:1 in the final, winning the tournament for the third time in history. The most titled African Cup of Nations team is Egypt, who have won seven times.
First round of games
| The date | G | The game | The result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21.12. | A | Morocco – Comoros | 2:0 (0:0) |
| 22.12. | A | Mali – Zambia | 1:1 (0:0) |
| B | DĀR – Angola | 2:1 (1:1) | |
| B | Egypt – Zimbabwe | 2:1 (0:1) | |
| 23.12. | D | Religion of DR – Bennana | 1:0 (1:0) |
| D | Senegal – Botswana | 3:0 (1:0) | |
| C | Nigeria – Tanzania | 2:1 (1:0) | |
| C | Tunisia – Uganda | 3:1 (2:0) | |
| 24.12. | E | Burkinafaso – Equatorial Guinea | 2:1 (0:0) |
| E | Algeria – Sudan | 3:0 (1:0) | |
| F | Ivory Coast – Mozambique | 1:0 (0:0) | |
| F | Cameroon – Gabon | 1:0 (1:0) |
