Pape Gueye scored twice as Senegal, the more-fancied team, came from behind to defeat Sudan 3-1 on Saturday and secure a spot in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations. Meanwhile, 10-man Mali narrowly edged Tunisia in a dramatic penalty shootout.

As champions in 2022, Senegal are considered the biggest threat to Morocco’s hopes of winning their first AFCON title in half a century. A loss in Tangiers to a Sudan side ranked nearly 100 places below them would have been a major upset.

Sudan, despite being ravaged by civil war for almost three years, reached the Cup of Nations knockout stage for only the second time since winning the trophy in 1970. However, an upset seemed possible when Aamir Abdallah, a semi-professional player for an Australian second-tier club in Melbourne, curled in a stunning early opener.

Nonetheless, Senegal, who earned four points out of six against Sudan during qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, came back to lead at halftime thanks to a brace from Villarreal’s Pape Gueye. Sadio Mane set up Gueye to equalize just before the half-hour mark, and the same player scored again in stoppage time to make it 2-1 at the end of the first half.

Senegal introduced Ibrahim Mbaye, a Paris Saint-Germain teenager, in the final quarter of the game, and he sealed the victory in the 77th minute by latching onto a long pass and beating goalkeeper Monged Abuzaid at his near post for a 3-1 lead.

Pape Thiaw’s team had already come from behind to draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo during the group stage, and Gueye praised the team’s fighting spirit after the win.

“We showed against Congo that we are capable of coming from behind in a game, and that is what we did tonight,” said Gueye. “It means a lot. It shows how good the spirit in the camp is. It was a very difficult match. We played against Sudan before, and they made life hard for us. But we managed to keep our focus and score when the chances came along.”

Shoot-out drama

Senegal will now face their West African neighbors Mali in the last eight next Friday after the Eagles prevailed 3-2 on penalties against Tunisia following a 1-1 draw at the end of 90 minutes and extra time.

Mali, who have never won the Cup of Nations, faced trouble when full-back Woyo Coulibaly was sent off in the 26th minute at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca for a dangerous challenge on Hannibal Mejbri. Tunisia then appeared to have won the tie when substitute Firas Chaouat headed them into the lead in the 88th minute.

However, Mali were saved by Lassine Sinayoko’s 96th-minute penalty, awarded after a handball, which forced extra time. With no further goals scored on a rainy night, the match went to penalties.

Mali captain Yves Bissouma, a Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, missed the first kick, but Ali Abdi also missed for Tunisia. Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra helped shift the momentum in his team’s favor with saves to deny Elias Achouri and Mohamed Ali Bem Romdhane.

El Bilal Toure, the Besiktas forward who had previously failed to score a penalty in the same stadium during a draw against Zambia in the group stage, then converted the decisive kick to send Mali through to the next round.

“Before the game, I said my team were already heroes, and now there is no other word after we played for so long with 10 men,” said Mali coach Tom Saintfiet. “Every player fought for their country and did everything to stay in this competition.”

The last-16 action continues on Sunday in Rabat when hosts Morocco take on Tanzania, a team making their debut in the knockout phase of an AFCON. South Africa will then face five-time African champions Cameroon in the late kick-off in the Moroccan capital.