Senegal and Mali march on to quarters

Pape Gueye scored twice as much-fancied Senegal came from behind to beat Sudan 3-1 on Saturday and seal a place in the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations, while 10-man Mali edged Tunisia in a dramatic penalty shootout.

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Senegal players celebrate after the match against Sudan.

(REUTERS)

Champions in 2022, Senegal are seen as the biggest threat to hosts Morocco’s dreams of winning a first Afcon title in half a century.

It would have been a huge shock had the Lions of Teranga lost in Tangiers to a Sudan side almost 100 places beneath them in the Fifa rankings.

Sudan reached the Cup of Nations knockout stage for just the second time since lifting the trophy in 1970 despite the country being ravaged by civil war for almost the last three years.

However, an upset was on the cards when Aamir Abdallah, a semiprofessional who plays for an Australian second-tier club in Melbourne, curled in a superb early opener.

Nevertheless Senegal, who took four points out of a possible six against Sudan during qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, came back to lead by halftime thanks to a brace by Villarreal’s Pape Gueye.