AFCON 2025: Pape Gueye Double Sends Senegal into Quarterfinals

AFCON 2025: Pape Gueye Double Sends Senegal into Quarterfinals

Senegal booked their place in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after a commanding 3–1 comeback victory over Sudan on Saturday, inspired by a brilliant brace from Pape Gueye.

Sudan stunned the defending champions early when Aamir Abdallah opened the scoring in the sixth minute, finishing off a swift counter-attacking move that briefly silenced Senegalese supporters.

The setback sparked a strong response from the Teranga Lions, with captain Sadio Mané playing a pivotal role. Mané provided the assist for Pape Gueye to level the score before the half-hour mark. Gueye struck again just before halftime, firing Senegal into a deserved 2–1 lead.

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Senegal sealed the win late on through substitute Ibrahim Mbaye, who unleashed a thunderous strike to put the result beyond doubt.

At just 17 years and 344 days, Mbaye became the youngest goalscorer in Senegal’s AFCON history. He is also the youngest scorer at the Africa Cup of Nations since 2000, when Shiva N’Zigou netted for Gabon aged 16 years and 91 days.

Speaking after the match, former Liverpool star Sadio Mané praised his team’s resilience and mentality.

“We played a good game from the beginning, but the goal we conceded came as a shock and felt like punishment,” Mané said.
“Still, we reacted well and scored the equaliser. After that, our response was positive and we eventually scored three goals. Every match at the Africa Cup of Nations is difficult, but in the end we secured qualification to the quarterfinals.”

With his assist against Sudan, Mané has now recorded 18 goal contributions at AFCON tournaments since 2006, making him the most productive player in the competition over that period.

AFCON 2025: Pape Gueye Double Sends Senegal into Quarterfinals