Zanzibar, Tanzania: Sudan’s Falcons of Jediane Saturday booked a semi-final berth at the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) PAMOJA 2024 after edging Algeria 4-2 on penalties, with goalkeeper Mohamed Abooja emerging as the night’s hero at Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar.
The quarterfinal tie ended 1-1 after 120 minutes of grit and resilience, but Abooja produced two crucial saves in the shoot-out to secure Sudan’s passage into the last four, where they will meet Madagascar.
Kwesi Appiah’s side had taken the lead when Algeria’s Ayoub Ghezala scored an own goal in the 48th minute, but the Desert Foxes responded in the 73rd minute through Soufiane Bayazid’s close-range finish to make the score even.
Despite late surges from both sides, neither team could find the winner in open play.
As the tie was forced into penalties, Sudan’s Walieldin Khidir, Mohamed Ahmed Saeed, Ahmed Tabanja, and Mohamed Tia Asad all converted, while Abooja denied Mehdi Merghem and Zakaria Draoui to send Sudan through 4-2 on spot-kicks.
Sudan Head Coach Appiah praised his team’s resilience, noting that their discipline and belief carried them through one of their toughest contests so far.
The Falcons remain unbeaten in the tournament, having previously stunned Nigeria 4-0 and held defending champions Senegal in the group stage.
Sudan will now face Madagascar in the semi-finals at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, August 26, while the other semi-final pits Morocco against holders Senegal after the latter edged Uganda 1-0 in the other quarter-final fixture on Saturday.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
