Under the Zanzibar floodlights on Tuesday night, Sudan delivered a masterclass in efficiency and discipline, dismantling a higher-ranked Nigeria 4–0 to storm to the summit of Group D and send the Super Eagles crashing out of the tournament with a match still to play.
It was a night where Sudan’s talisman Abdel Raouf Yagoub rose to the occasion, netting twice in the second half to complement Leonard Ngenge’s unfortunate own goal and Walieldin Khdir’s thunderous penalty.
The result capped what head coach Kwesi Appiah proudly described as “a disciplined, ruthless display that stuck to our plan from the first whistle to the last.”
“We were disciplined without the ball, fast in transition and ruthless in the box.
“Against a team like Nigeria, you can’t afford to switch off. Tonight, the boys executed perfectly,” Appiah told CAF’s official website after the match.
Early promise turns into a nightmare for Nigeria
Nigeria began the game with the intent of shaking off their opening-day defeat. Their early pressure forced Sudan into a defensive shell, with a flurry of corners testing the Falcons of Jediane.
Raymond Tochukwu’s low strike whistled past the post in the 11th minute, and Anthony Ijoma appeared to have given the Super Eagles the lead on 22 minutes, only for VAR to rule him narrowly offside.
Just three minutes later, fortune deserted Nigeria completely. Yagoub’s fierce shot from the edge of the box rattled the upright and ricocheted off the hapless Ngenge into his own net.
The blow rattled Eric Chelle’s men, and their misery deepened moments before halftime when Ngenge’s flailing arm blocked a cross inside the area.
Khdir stepped up and buried the penalty high into the top-right corner for a 2–0 Sudan advantage.
“We lost concentration at key moments. Once you’re chasing Sudan, they make the pitch feel very small,” admitted a frustrated Chelle.
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Yagoub turns the screw
Chelle rolled the dice at halftime, introducing three substitutes to inject life into Nigeria’s attack, but Sudan were in no mood to let their grip slip.
Their midfield trio of Khdir, Yaser Awad, and Ali Abdalla suffocated Nigeria’s passing lanes, while full-backs overlapped with precision to maintain attacking pressure.
In the 55th minute, Musa Hussien’s relentless pressing forced an error, and Yagoub pounced, steering the ball neatly into the bottom-right corner.
Seven minutes later, the Sudanese playmaker struck again, sweeping a superb finish into the top-left corner after a quick turnover in midfield caught Nigeria off guard.
From there, Sudan managed the game with calm authority. Goalkeeper Mohamed Abooja denied Steven Manyo’s close-range header late on, ensuring Nigeria ended the tournament without a single goal to their name.
Nigeria bow out, Sudan march on
Two matches played, five goals conceded, none scored, Nigeria’s CHAN journey fizzled out amid familiar failings: defensive lapses, blunt attacking play, and exploitable gaps down the flanks.
Sudan, on the other hand, celebrated a near-perfect group stage so far, four points from two matches, five goals scored, and only one conceded.
They will face defending champions Senegal in a decisive Group D encounter. While a draw could be enough to advance, Appiah dismissed any notion of settling for one.
“We respect Senegal, but we’re here to win every game.
This result means nothing if we don’t follow it up,” he insisted.
On a night when Senegal were surprisingly held by Congo, the Sudanese players soaked up applause from their travelling fans.
The Nigerians, heads bowed, trudged off knowing their campaign was over, undone by a team that, on this evidence, may yet prove one of the dark horses of the tournament.
