Sudan delivered the biggest upset of the CAF Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) PAMOJA 2024 tournament so far, thrashing higher-ranked Nigeria 4–0 in Zanzibar on Tuesday to secure their place at the top of Group D and eliminate the Super Eagles with a game to spare.
An early own goal from Leonard Ngenge set the tone before captain Walieldin Khdir converted a penalty to double the lead. Abdel Raouf Yagoub then struck twice in the second half to complete a ruthless performance from Kwesi Appiah’s side, who now sit level on four points with defending champions Senegal. Congo have two points, while Nigeria are bottom without a point from two games.
Nigeria began with urgency, forcing early corners and seeing Raymond Tochukwu shoot wide in the 11th minute. Anthony Ijoma thought he had broken the deadlock in the 22nd minute, but VAR ruled him offside. Sudan capitalised three minutes later when Yagoub’s shot hit the post and rebounded off Ngenge into his own net.
Things worsened for Nigeria in the 43rd minute when Ngenge handled in the box, allowing Khdir to smash home a penalty just before half-time. Second-half substitute changes by Nigeria’s coach Eric Chelle failed to spark a comeback, and Yagoub extended Sudan’s lead with a composed finish in the 55th minute before adding a fourth seven minutes later.
Sudan’s defence held firm, with goalkeeper Mohamed Abooja denying late Nigerian efforts, including a header from Steven Manyo in the 84th minute and Tochukwu’s strike that rattled the post in stoppage time. The result confirmed Nigeria’s early exit, with only the top two teams from the group advancing.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
Follow us on:
