Luca Zidane starts in goal as Algeria tops Group E with Sudan victory

Algeria opened its Africa Cup of Nations run with a 3-0 triumph implicit Sudan successful Rabat connected Wednesday, leaning connected aboriginal ruthlessness, a second-half surge, and dependable goalkeeping from Luca Zidane arsenic it moved to the apical of Group E.

Riyad Mahrez scored doubly and 20-year-old Ibrahim Maza added his archetypal planetary goal, arsenic Algeria, among the tourney favorites, took power aft Sudan went down to 10 men precocious successful the archetypal half.

"The astir important happening was to commencement with a win," Mahrez said. "The past 2 AFCONs, we didn't commencement good. Today, we truly wanted to marque it hap and we did."

Zidane watches, Luca steps in

France large Zinedine Zidane was successful the stands astatine the Moulay El Hassan Stadium to ticker his lad commencement successful extremity for Algeria. The assemblage reacted each clip the erstwhile prima appeared connected the large screens, and Luca’s enactment carried added context. He chose to correspond his grandfather’s state and got the accidental aft an wounded to Alexandre Oukidja, who mightiness different person started.

Algeria struck astir immediately. Mahrez swept successful the opener successful the 2nd infinitesimal aft Hicham Boudaoui’s unselfish setup. Sudan, however, inactive recovered moments to threaten. Luca Zidane was forced into enactment soon after, denying Yaser Awad connected a break, and helium aboriginal saved again arsenic Sudan’s champion chances continued to autumn to Awad and Abdel Raouf, who fired over.

Sudan has been forced to play each of its qualifiers distant from location due to the fact that of a civilian warfare that has stretched for astir 1,000 days, and the squad entered the lucifer with small borderline for error.

Red paper turns the flow

Salah Adil’s 2nd yellowish card, for a foul connected Rayan Aït-Nouri soon earlier halftime, tilted the lucifer further toward Algeria. The vantage did not instantly crook into goals, and the majority-Algerian assemblage had to hold done a diligent spell aft the break.

The breakthrough arrived again done Mahrez successful the 61st, finishing aft Mohammed Amoura delivered a transverse with the extracurricular of his boot. Algeria past enactment the effect beyond uncertainty erstwhile Baghdad Bounedjah headed the shot into Maza’s path, and the substitute scored successful the 85th.