CHAN
Sudan hold champions Senegal to seal top spot in CHAN Group D
Sudan and Senegal both advanced to the quarter-finals of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 after playing out a tense goalless draw at Zanzibar’s Amaan Stadium on Tuesday night.
The result ensured Sudan topped Group D on goal difference, with holders Senegal progressing in second place.
At the same time, Nigeria defeated Congo 2-0 in Dar es Salaam, but the Super Eagles’ late push was not enough to dislodge the two unbeaten sides.
It was billed as the decisive match of Group D, and it lived up to the occasion, even without goals.
Sudan, rejuvenated under Ghanaian coach Kwesi Appiah, came into the fixture brimming with belief after their 4-0 dismantling of Nigeria.
Senegal, the reigning champions, knew only defeat could eliminate them but were equally determined to secure top spot.
Both sides traded chances in a cagey first half. Senegal’s Pape Badji twice came close — first dragging a shot wide from the edge of the six-yard box before seeing another effort fly off target.
At the other end, Sudan tested goalkeeper Marc Diouf through Abdel Raouf Yagoub, whose strike from distance was well gathered.
The drama reached boiling point in stoppage time of the first half when Sudan appealed for a penalty, only for VAR to rule no infringement, to the relief of Souleymane Diallo’s Senegalese side.
The second half mirrored the first — fast, physical, and fiercely contested.
Sudan’s Musa Hussien had the best opening for the Cranes, shooting over from close range, while Mohamed Tia Asad also missed narrowly after coming off the bench.
Senegal, meanwhile, looked to Libasse Guèye for inspiration, but Sudan’s disciplined backline repelled the danger.
The champions’ frustrations boiled over when Mbaye Yaya Ly was shown a second yellow card deep into stoppage time, leaving Senegal to finish with ten men.
Despite their numerical advantage, Sudan had little time to capitalise, and the game ended with honours even.
The stalemate meant both teams finished level on five points, but Sudan’s superior goal difference (+4 compared to Senegal’s +1) secured them first place.
In Dar es Salaam, Nigeria’s 2-0 victory over Congo lifted them to third with three points, while Congo bowed out bottom with two.
For Nigeria, the result was bittersweet. They delivered their best display of the tournament, but their earlier defeats left them short of qualification.
Kwesi Appiah’s tenure has transformed Sudan into one of the competition’s most disciplined and adventurous sides.
The Ghanaian coach promised his team would attack, and though they did not score, Sudan again showed the organisation and resilience that have kept them unbeaten for almost a year.
Captain Fares Abdullah and his side celebrated with their fans at full time, knowing they had made history by reaching the CHAN knockout stages in style.
The draw sets up a tantalising last-eight line-up. Sudan will remain in Zanzibar to face Algeria, while Senegal travel to Kampala to meet hosts Uganda, in what promises to be a fiery clash in front of a packed Mandela National Stadium.
With all three co-hosts — Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda — already through, and defending champions Senegal still in the mix, the quarter-finals are shaping up to be a festival of football with huge crowds expected.
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Nigeria’s home-based Super Eagles finally found their scoring touch and secured a long-awaited victory at the African Nations Championship (CHAN), defeating Congo 2-0 on Tuesday night.
Second-half goals from Anas Yusuf and Sikiru Alimi ended a miserable run of three winless matches stretching back seven years, during which Nigeria also endured a prolonged goal drought.
Yusuf’s breakthrough in the 56th minute was Nigeria’s first CHAN goal since their 1-0 win over Sudan in Marrakech on 31 January 2018—ending a barren spell that lasted 400 minutes of tournament football. The moment came after Alimi rose highest to nod down a cross, setting up Yusuf for a composed close-range finish.
Alimi later turned scorer himself, striking deep into stoppage time to seal the result and leave Congo stunned. The Central Africans, who needed victory to keep their quarter-final hopes alive, finished bottom of the group and exited the competition in disappointment.
For Nigeria, the win came too late to alter their fate after back-to-back defeats to Senegal and Sudan had already confirmed elimination. Yet the result allowed coach Eric Sekou Chelle’s side to bow out with pride partly restored, even as deeper questions remain about the team’s preparation, squad depth, and execution at this level.
Final Group D Standings
- Sudan – 5 pts (+4 GD)
- Senegal – 5 pts (+1 GD)
- Nigeria – 3 pts (–3 GD)
- Congo – 2 pts (–2 GD)
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CHAN
Like Niger, their northern neighbours in Group C, will Nigeria in Group D exit CHAN without a Goal?
By KUNLE SOLAJA
Nigeria’s home-based Super Eagles face Congo on Tuesday night in their final Group D clash of the African Nations Championship (CHAN), with pride rather than qualification at stake.
Already eliminated after back-to-back defeats to Senegal and Sudan, Eric Sekou Chelle’s side will be desperate to at least avoid the embarrassment of exiting the tournament without scoring a single goal.
The Super Eagles have conceded five goals without reply in two matches, and Chelle admits the campaign has been a bruising one.
“We want to end the competition with a victory,” Chelle told reporters. “We haven’t scored yet, and this game is our chance to put things right. Of course, I take responsibility as a coach, but now it’s about lifting morale. We must return home with something positive.”
Nigeria’s preparations were disrupted after eight key players from the qualifying campaign departed for overseas clubs, forcing Chelle to rebuild much of his squad on short notice.
With the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) resuming this weekend and continental competitions around the corner, many players are already looking forward to rejoining their clubs.
Nine Remo Stars players and three from Rivers United are expected back for CAF Champions League duty, while Abia Warriors’ Ijeoma Anthony and Kwara United’s Nurudeen Badmus and Bankole Afeez will feature in the Confederation Cup.
While Nigeria’s interest in the tournament has ended, Congo still has everything to play for. A victory over the Super Eagles, combined with a favourable result from the Sudan–Senegal match, could see them through to the quarterfinals.
“There is no alternative to victory,” Congo coach Barthelemy Ngatsono told CAFonline, underlining the must-win nature of the fixture.
“We respect Nigeria, but they are like a wounded lion. They will play with pride, so we must be sharper and stay focused.”
Congo’s own struggles in front of goal—just one strike in two games—remain a concern, but forward Gosim Duvan Elenga is confident his team can rise to the occasion. “We enter this match with the same determination as before. We are ready,” he said.
For Nigeria, Tuesday night offers one last chance to restore a measure of dignity. For Congo, it could be the gateway to the knockout rounds.
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The 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) has delivered an unprecedented moment for East African football, as all three co-hosts—Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda—have advanced to the quarter-finals.
It is the first time in a CAF competition that three co-host nations have simultaneously reached the knockout stage, underlining the tournament’s theme of Pamoja—the Swahili word for “together.”
Kenya, debuting at CHAN, stunned the continent by topping Group A with 10 points. A packed Kasarani Stadium roared as Ryan Ogam’s 75th-minute winner against Zambia sealed a 1-0 victory and guaranteed their place above 2020 champions Morocco.
The Harambee Stars will remain in Nairobi to face Madagascar in Friday’s quarter-final, in what is already billed as a blockbuster tie.
Tanzania’s Taifa Stars were equally dominant in Group B, finishing with 10 points after winning three matches and drawing one.
Their attacking style and solid organisation won admiration, while the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium drew some of the competition’s largest crowds.
Tanzania will meet Morocco in Dar es Salaam on Friday night in another high-stakes clash.
For Uganda, the breakthrough was historic. After six failed attempts, the Cranes finally escaped the group stage, topping Group C in dramatic fashion.
In a pulsating 3-3 draw with South Africa, Jude Ssemugabi struck early, only for the visitors to score three times. But Uganda fought back, with Rogers Torach converting a stoppage-time penalty to secure the point that carried them into the quarter-finals.
They will host their last-eight tie in Kampala on Saturday night against the Group D runners-up.
This year’s CHAN is already unique as the first CAF tournament to be co-hosted by three countries. The decision to share matches across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda has been rewarded with record attendances, vibrant atmospheres and now a collective footballing triumph.
With each co-host nation set to play its quarter-final match at home, East Africa is braced for another weekend of festival-like crowds, as the dream run of the hosts continues.
Quarter-Final Fixtures
Friday, 22 August 2025
- 17:00 – Kenya v Madagascar (Moi Sports Centre Kasarani, Nairobi)
- 20:00 – Tanzania v Morocco (Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Dar es Salaam)
Saturday, 23 August 2025
- 17:00 – Winners Group D v Algeria (Amaan Stadium, Zanzibar)
- 20:00 – Uganda v Runners-up Group D (Mandela National Stadium, Kampala)
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