AFCON U-23 qualifiers
Sudan stop Benin in U-23 AFCON qualifier
The Sudan U-23 national team stopped Benin 2-0 in the first leg preliminary round match of the TotalEnergies U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on Sunday.
Noah Algozoli put the hosts ahead at the stroke of half time at the Al Hilal Stadium in Khartoum.
After the interval the visitors tried to fight back, but failed to find goals. Ali ‘Kabba’ Abdullalah netted the second goal for Sudan after 65 minutes.
In the other matches played by teams from the CECAFA region Tanzania played to a 1-1 draw against the visiting Nigeria team at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium last Saturday.
Rwanda also drew 1-1 against Mali in a match played at the Huye Stadium. Uganda who were meant to fac Guinea withdrew from the qualifiers because of financial challenges.
The return legs will be played this weekend. The winner on aggregate will proceed to the next round of the U-23 AFCON qualifying campaign.
The U-23 AFCON to be held in Morocco in November 2023, will determine Africa’s flag bearers at the Men’s Football Tournament of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.