Riyad Mahrez inspired Algeria to a dominant start at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after the Desert Foxes swept aside Kwasi Appiah’s Sudan with a convincing 3–0 victory in their Group E opener in Rabat.
The 2019 champions wasted little time in stamping their authority on the match, showing sharpness and purpose as they sought to bounce back from disappointing early exits in the last two tournaments. Algeria’s early pressure paid off when Mahrez opened the scoring with a trademark left-footed finish inside the box, following a clever backheel pass from Hicham Boudaoui.
Sudan attempted to respond and showed brief moments of attacking promise, with Yaser Awad Boshara testing goalkeeper Luca Zidane on two occasions. However, their resistance weakened just before halftime when Salah Adel was dismissed after receiving a second yellow card, forcing the Sudanese side to play the rest of the match with ten men.
Algeria fully capitalised on their numerical advantage after the break. Shortly after the hour mark, Mahrez struck again, calmly converting from close range after being released by a precise through ball from Mohamed Amoura. The pressure continued as Amoura himself came close, rattling the post with a powerful volley.
The result was put beyond doubt five minutes from full time when Ibrahim Maza reacted quickest to a knockdown from Baghdad Bounedjah to score Algeria’s third, a historic goal that marked the team’s 100th strike in Africa Cup of Nations history.
Despite the heavy defeat, Sudan goalkeeper Monged Elneel produced two fine saves in stoppage time to prevent the scoreline from growing further.
The emphatic win places Algeria at the top of Group E on goal difference ahead of Burkina Faso. Algeria remain in Rabat for their next clash against Burkina Faso, while Sudan move to Casablanca to face Equatorial Guinea as they look to revive their campaign.
