CASABLANCA: Sudan claimed their first points of the Africa Cup of Nations finals with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea in Morocco on Sunday, thanks to a late own goal at Stade Mohamed V.
The decisive moment came in the 74th minute when Mohamed Eisa’s dangerous free kick was initially cleared by Luis Asue, only to strike teammate Saul Coco and ricochet past a helpless goalkeeper Jesus Owono. The fortuitous goal proved enough to settle a tense Group E contest.
Sudan had threatened earlier, with Eisa missing a close-range chance in the fourth minute and later seeing a goalbound effort dramatically blocked off the line by Esteban Orozco just after the hour mark. Equatorial Guinea also had opportunities, as Pedro Obiang squandered a clear chance in the first half before heading onto the roof of the net just before halftime with goalkeeper Monged Elneel caught out of position.
The match was briefly halted in the first half after Elneel suffered a knock to the head and was assessed for concussion, though he was able to continue.
The result leaves Sudan level with Algeria and Burkina Faso on three points in Group E, while Equatorial Guinea—semi-finalists in two of the last three tournaments—are now on the brink of elimination after suffering back-to-back defeats.
