Algeria's forward #7 Riyad Mahrez is substituted during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Group E football match between Algeria and Sudan at Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat on December 24, 2025. AFP
Riyad Mahrez scored twice, and Ibrahim Maza added a third as Algeria secured their first Africa Cup of Nations victory in six years with a dominant 3-0 win over ten-man Sudan on Wednesday.
Algeria's last win in the Nations Cup came in 2019 when they defeated Senegal in the final in Cairo.
Since then, the team has been eliminated in the first round of the last two editions, with three draws and three defeats.
It took Algeria just two minutes to open the scoring, with Mahrez finding the back of the net early. Sudan were dealt a major blow five minutes before halftime when Salaheldin Adil was shown a second yellow card and sent off.
On the hour mark, Mahrez doubled Algeria's lead, and substitute Ibrahim Maza sealed the win with a third goal.
Mahrez, appearing at his sixth AFCON, now has eight goals at the tournament.
“I am happy to have got the three points. It is a long time since we did that at the AFCON so the main thing for us was to win today," said Mahrez after the game.
"As a team we want to get to the final. We have not come here to make up the numbers."
"I have enough experience to know that this is just one match and we need to keep our feet on the ground."
Algeria top Group E with three points, level with Burkina Faso, who stunned Equatorial Guinea earlier in the day.
The two sides will meet on Sunday, while Sudan will face Equatorial Guinea on the same day.
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