It was a night of nerves, grit, and soaring dreams under the floodlights at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar as Group D winners Sudan clashed with tournament favourites Algeria in the final CHAN 2024 quarterfinal. In a tense and often cagey encounter, it was the Sudanese Falcons who soared higher; holding their nerve in a dramatic penalty shootout to book a place in the semifinals.

The build-up to this match had Algeria as slight favourites on paper, given their pedigree and squad depth. But Sudan came into the match as one of the dark horses of the tournament,quietly efficient, defensively solid, and full of belief under the tutelage of Ghanaian coach James Kwesi Appiah, the former Black Stars boss.

The match began at a high tempo with Algeria trying to impose themselves early. They pushed aggressively down both wings in the opening five minutes, swinging crosses into Sudan’s box, but none posed serious danger. Despite controlling possession, Algeria failed to register a shot in the opening 13 minutes as Sudan held firm at the back.

Sudan’s first real moment came in the 16th minute when Abdelrazig Omer forced a fine save from Algerian keeper Bouhalfaya after a dangerous cross from the left flank. Algeria continued to probe, but Sudan matched them stride for stride, both physically and tactically.

The first booking of the night came in the 23rd minute when Algeria’s Bilal Boukerchaoui went into the referee’s book for a foul in midfield. Later, in the 38th minute, Algeria came close from a corner, with Aimen Mahious’ header narrowly missing the target.

As the first half ended 0–0, the consensus was that Sudan, despite being underdogs, had carved out the more dangerous chances while Algeria struggled to break them down.

Just four minutes into the second half, the deadlock was broken; albeit in bizarre fashion. A catastrophic defensive mix-up saw Algeria’s Ayoub Ghezala turn the ball into his own net, gifting Sudan a 1–0 lead in the 48th minute. It was a goal that stunned Algeria and lifted Sudan’s belief through the roof.

However, Sudan’s momentum was momentarily disrupted six minutes later when one of their standout defenders, Salaheldin Adli, had to be substituted due to injury. Mohamed Al-Rasheed came on in his place.

Algeria responded with urgency. They introduced Soufiane Bayazid for Abdennour Belhocini in the 57th minute, and Mehdi Merghem for the cautioned Boukerchaoui in the 65th. The changes paid off in the 73rd minute when Bayazid found the back of the net finishing smartly on the rebound to level the match at 1–1.Sudan, unfazed, responded with a triple substitution in the 77th minute: Saeed Ahmed replaced Abdelrazig Omer, Awad Zayed came on for Fadul Al-Bahli, and Mubarak Abdalla was introduced in place of Musa Hassein. Algeria’s Naoufel Khacef was booked in the 79th minute for dissent, while Sudan’s left-back, Tabanja, was shown yellow in stoppage time after a foul in a dangerous area.

With neither side able to find a winner in regulation time, the game moved into extra time. The tempo dropped significantly, with both teams wary of making costly errors. The first 15 minutes passed without any meaningful chances, save for a substitution by Algeria in the 105th minute, with Nechat Fares coming on for the injured Meziane.The second half of extra time saw little improvement. It wasn’t until the 117th minute that Aimen Mahious managed to test Sudan’s keeper, but the shot was comfortably saved. Two minutes later, Algeria’s Zakaria Draoui picked up a yellow card for a rough challenge.

The deadlock could not be broken, and the match went to a penalty shootout,the second of the quarterfinal round after Kenya and Madagascar. And just like in that one, it was all about nerve and focus.

Penalty Shootout Summary:

Sudan – Khadir scores (1–0)

Algeria – Mahious scores (1–1)

Sudan – Saeed Ahmed scores (2–1)

Algeria – Bayazid scores (2–2)

Sudan – Ahmed Yousif scores (3–2)

Algeria – Merghem misses

Sudan – Boshira misses

Algeria – Draoui misses

Sudan – Asad scores (4–2) – Sudan wins

With that final conversion, Sudan triumphed 4–2 on penalties and advanced to the semifinals of CHAN 2024.

Their story is the stuff of continental dreams. While the other three co-hosts; Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—have all crashed out, Sudan now stands as CECAFA’s last hope. Under tutelage of Ghanian James Kwesi Appiah, and powered by a squad heavily drawn from CAF Champions League Quarter-finalists Al Hilal Omdurman (13 players in the squad), the Falcons of Jediane have dared to dream.They now face Madagascar in the semifinals,an opponent not ranked among the pre-tournament favourites. On paper, it’s a more manageable fixture. Just two matches now stands between Sudan and continental glory.