Lassina Traore struck early as Burkina Faso beat Sudan at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, with Arsene Kouassi sealing a late 2-0 victory.

Traore opened the scoring on 16 minutes, heading in Stephane Aziz Ki’s cross, before Sudan missed a huge chance to level when Algozoli Nooh sent a penalty wide in the first half.

Both sides had already secured qualification from Group E behind Algeria, with Burkina Faso needing only a draw to finish second. The 2013 runners-up will now face the Group F winners in Marrakesh, with Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Mozambique still battling for top spot.

Despite defeat, Sudan progressed as one of the best third-placed teams, thanks to their earlier 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea. Ranked 117th in the world, reaching the knockout stage represents a major achievement, especially given the country’s ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile, Algeria finished the group stage with a 100 percent record, comfortably beating Equatorial Guinea in Rabat. Coach Vladimir Petkovic rotated heavily, but Algeria scored three goals in 14 first-half minutes, with Zineddine Belaid, Fares Chaibi and Ibrahim Maza on target, before Emilio Nsue pulled one back.

Algeria will face the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last 16.

Z. Belaïd

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