AFCON 2025: Algeria and Burkina Faso sail through to last 16

Objective: avoid Senegal in 8th
Sudan vs  Burkina Faso had all the hallmarks of a double-stake match. The first, winning to finish 2nd behind Algeria. The second?, do everything possible to avoid 3rd place which would mean face the Senegal in the 8th final. After a quarter-hour observation round, Burkina Faso found the net thanks to the goal of Lassina Traoré (0-1, 16th). 

The Stallions leading at the break had do without their goalkeeper Koffi, visibly hit in the right thigh. The Sudanese return with better intentions. Aamir Abdallah slightly misses the equalization but the attempt rattled off the post of Hervé Koffi’s substitute. The Burkinabe rely on the lightning-fast accelerations of Georgi Minoungou. The Seattle Sounders winger hurts his opponent but lacks precision in the final gesture. The Stallions take cover at the end of the match with this goal by the full-back Arsène Kouassi ideally launched by Dango Ouattara, who came in during the game.

Burkina Faso wins 2-0 against a team from Sudan deprived of several players  including Walieldin Khdir and Mohamed Abdelrahman. The Stallions will know their opponent in the round of 16 after the group F meetings scheduled at 19h GMT. On their side, the Nile Crocodiles challenge Senegal. The two teams had met in qualifications for the 2026 World Cup with a 0-0 draw in Libya and a 2-0 victory by the Lions in Diamniadio.

Hat trick win for Algeria
The other game of group E was devoid of stakes since Algeria, already qualified, was guaranteed to finish in first place in the pool. Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, wanted to finish with a positive score after two defeats against Burkina Faso (1-2) and Sudan (0-1). The Fennecs team is heavily revamped, but does manage to overpower and suffocate the Nzalang Nacional. In the 19th minute, the central defender Zinedine Belaid opens the scoring through a corner from Anis Hadj Moussa (1-0). Farès Chaïbi follows in his footsteps by scoring the 2-0 goal at the end of a festival on the left (25th).

The goal of the 3-0 is the work of  Ibrahim Maza, who heads off a cross from Hadj Moussa. The striker from Feyenoord Rotterdam thus provides a 2nd assist in this encounter. Equatorial Guinea manages to reduce the score at the 50th minute  thanks to the historic Emilio Nsue. The 36-year-old striker, served by Alex Balboa gets consolation for his side. 

Algeria wins 3-1 and finishes first in their pool with 9 points out of 9 possible. The Fennecs will play their 8th final, on Tuesday 6 January at 16h GMT against the DRC for a big clash in perspective. Equatorial Guinea is eliminated in the first round for the first time in its history at the Africa Cup of Nations. The Nzalang Nacional had until now always crossed the phase.