Sudan stunned higher-ranked Nigeria with a commanding 4–0 victory on Tuesday night in Zanzibar, climbing to the top of Group D and dumping the Super Eagles out of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) with a game to spare.
Abdel Raouf Yagoub was the star of the night, netting twice in the second half to add to Leonard Ngenge’s own goal and Walieldin Khdir’s first-half penalty. The result capped what Sudan head coach Kwesi Appiah 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,” Appiah said in comments published on the CAF website. “Against a team like Nigeria, you can’t afford to switch off. Tonight, the boys executed perfectly.”
First-half heartbreak for Nigeria
Nigeria started brightly, pressing high and winning early corners, with Raymond Tochukwu going close in the 11th minute. The breakthrough appeared to arrive when Anthony Ijoma tapped home in the 22nd minute, but VAR ruled the effort out for offside.
Just three minutes later, Sudan took the lead in cruel fashion. Yagoub’s fierce strike cannoned off the post, ricocheting off Ngenge and into his own net. Things worsened for the Super Eagles before half-time when Ngenge handled in the box. Khdir stepped up and smashed the penalty into the top-right corner to make it 2–0.
“We lost concentration at key moments,” admitted Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle. “Once you’re chasing Sudan, they make the pitch feel very small.”
Yagoub takes control
Chelle introduced three substitutes after the break, but Sudan’s dominance continued. On 55 minutes, Musa Hussien’s persistence freed Yagoub to calmly slot into the bottom-right corner. Seven minutes later, he struck again, curling a precise finish into the top-left after Nigeria lost possession in midfield.
From there, the Falcons of Jediane shut the game down, with midfielders Khdir, Yaser Awad and Ali Abdalla pressing relentlessly, and goalkeeper Mohamed Abooja pulling off a fine late save from Steven Manyo’s header.
Nigeria crash out
The defeat leaves Nigeria’s CHAN campaign in tatters: two games, no goals scored, five conceded. Defensive lapses, poor finishing, and vulnerabilities on the flanks proved costly.
Sudan, meanwhile, sit top of the group with four points from two matches, five goals scored and just one conceded. They face Senegal next in a potential decider, but Appiah insisted his side will not settle for a draw.
“We respect Senegal, but we’re here to win every game. This result means nothing if we don’t follow it up,” he said.
On a night when defending champions Senegal were held by Congo, Sudan’s clinical display earned them every cheer from their travelling supporters while Nigeria’s players trudged off the pitch with heads bowed.