CHAN: Nigeria eliminated after 4-0 defeat to Sudan

Sudan dealt Nigeria a heavy 4-0 defeat on Tuesday in Zanzibar, taking the top spot in Group D and eliminating the Super Eagles from the tournament with a game still to play.

Abdel Raouf Yagoub, Sudan’s playmaker, scored twice in the second half, adding to Leonard Ngenge’s unfortunate own goal and Walieldin Khdir’s powerful penalty. Sudan’s coach, Kwesi Appiah, described the performance as “a disciplined, ruthless display that stuck to our plan from the first whistle to the last.”

“We were disciplined without the ball, quick in transition, and clinical in the box. Against a team like Nigeria, you can’t afford to switch off. Tonight, the boys executed perfectly,” Appiah said, according to the CAF website.

Nigeria started strongly, with Raymond Tochukwu missing a shot in the 11th minute, but their momentum was disrupted when VAR ruled Anthony Ijoma’s goal offside in the 22nd minute. Shortly after, Yagoub’s shot struck the post and deflected off Ngenge into his own net.

Before halftime, Sudan extended their lead when Ngenge handled in the box, and Khdir converted the resulting penalty into the top-right corner to make it 2-0.

“We lost concentration at key moments. When you’re chasing Sudan, they make the pitch feel very small,” admitted Nigerian coach Eric Chelle.

Despite three halftime substitutions, Nigeria couldn’t turn the tide.

At 55 minutes, Musa Hussien’s persistence paid off as Yagoub calmly finished into the bottom-right corner. Seven minutes later, he scored again, placing a precise shot into the top-left corner following a Sudanese turnover.

From then on, Sudan controlled the match.

Sudan, meanwhile, boasts four points from two games, with five goals scored and just one conceded. They will face Senegal in a crucial top-of-the-table clash.