Sudan Humble Nigeria 4–0 to Go Top of Group D at CHAN PAMOJA 2024
The result came just hours after defending champions Senegal were held 1–1 by Congo, leaving the group finely poised ahead of the final round: Sudan and Senegal sit on four points apiece, Congo on two, and Nigeria out of contention.
Sudan delivered the biggest shock of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) PAMOJA 2024 so far, dismantling higher-ranked Nigeria 4–0 in Zanzibar on Monday to climb to the summit of Group D and send the Super Eagles crashing out with a game to spare.
A freak own goal from Leonard Ngenge and a penalty from captain Walieldin Khdir put Sudan two goals clear by half-time, before Abdel Raouf Yagoub struck twice in a seven-minute spell after the break to seal a ruthless, disciplined performance. Nigeria, meanwhile, remain bottom of the group with zero points from two matches and are now mathematically eliminated.
The result came just hours after defending champions Senegal were held 1–1 by Congo, leaving the group finely poised ahead of the final round: Sudan and Senegal sit on four points apiece, Congo on two, and Nigeria out of contention.
Nigeria began with intent, flooding the Sudanese box with early set-pieces and forcing goalkeeper Mohamed Abooja into a series of interventions. Raymond Tochukwu’s sliced effort from distance on 11 minutes was the closest they came in the opening exchanges.
The first turning point arrived in the 22nd minute when Anthony Ijoma thought he had put Nigeria ahead, only for VAR to rule the goal out for offside. Three minutes later, Sudan pounced on their reprieve. Yagoub’s curling strike thudded off the upright and rebounded cruelly off Ngenge into the net, handing Sudan a surprise lead.
Ngenge’s night went from bad to worse just before the break. A handball in the box on 43 minutes gifted Sudan a penalty, which Khdir converted with power and precision into the top-right corner. Nigeria had chances to halve the deficit before half-time, but Sikiru Alimi headed wide from a cross (39’) and later poked narrowly past the post in stoppage time.
Nigeria coach Eric Chelle reacted with a triple substitution at the restart, introducing Steven Manyo, Jabbar Malik and Vincent Temitope to inject energy. However, it was Sudan who seized control.
On 55 minutes, persistent pressing from Musa Hussien forced a defensive error, allowing Yagoub to slot a composed left-footed finish into the bottom-right corner. Seven minutes later, Sudan’s attacking fluidity shone again as Yagoub arrived in space to sweep home his second, this time into the top-left corner, after a swift turnover in midfield.
From there, Sudan managed the game expertly — closing down passing lanes, slowing the tempo, and choosing their moments to break forward. Full-backs Ahmed Tabanja and Mazin Simbo balanced their defensive duties with well-timed overlaps, while the midfield trio of Khdir, Ali Abdalla, and Hussien worked tirelessly off the ball.
Nigeria’s rare openings were repelled by Abooja, who notably tipped over Manyo’s header in the 84th minute. Tochukwu struck the post with a long-range drive in the dying moments, but it summed up Nigeria’s night: speculative, hurried, and fruitless.
Kwesi Appiah’s pre-match blueprint was executed to perfection. Sudan stayed compact out of possession, pressed in calculated bursts, and transitioned at speed. Khdir orchestrated play and led the press, Yaser Awad stretched the pitch on the right, and every substitute maintained the team’s intensity.
Nigeria, in contrast, were undone by lapses in concentration and poor defensive structure. Two matches have yielded zero goals and five conceded, with wing-backs repeatedly exposed and attacking moves breaking down through imprecision. The early disallowed goal ultimately did little to mask a performance unravelling under pressure.
Sudan’s emphatic win lifts them to first place on goal difference:
Sudan – 4 points (GF 5, GA 1)
Senegal – 4 points (GF 3, GA 2)
Congo – 2 points (GF 2, GA 2)
Nigeria – 0 points (GF 0, GA 5)
On the final day, Sudan face Senegal in a top-of-the-table decider, where a draw could be enough to qualify depending on Congo’s result against Nigeria. For the Super Eagles, only pride remains to play for, with major questions looming over tactics, squad selection, and execution at tournament level.
On a humid night in Zanzibar, Sudan’s Falcons of Jediane soared with precision, patience, and purpose. Their display was a model of tournament football — defensively secure, clinically opportunistic, and mentally composed. For Nigeria, it was a sobering exit marked by defensive mishaps and attacking bluntness.
As Appiah’s Sudan edge closer to a knockout berth, their 4–0 demolition of Nigeria will stand as one of CHAN PAMOJA 2024’s defining statements — proof that organisation and belief can topple even the most fancied opponents.
