West African teams Senegal and Mali have progressed to the last eight of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to confirm the first fixture of the next round.

On Saturday, Pape Gueye struck twice as former champions Senegal came from behind to beat Sudan 3-1 in Tangier and book their place in the quarter-finals.

An early moment of brilliance from Aamir Abdallah had given Sudan a shock lead, but Senegal responded with authority, Gueye netting a decisive brace before substitute Ibrahima Mbaye sealed the victory late on.

While Gueye took center stage with his goals, history also beckoned for Sadio Mané. The Senegal captain provided two assists, for Gueye’s second goal and Mbaye’s strike, moving him clear at the top of the AFCON all-time assists chart with nine, two more than Côte d’Ivoire legend Yaya Touré.

“It was tough to come back, but with the determination shown by my colleagues and me, we managed to win the game. We are through to the quarter-finals, and it will be tougher, so we have to prepare for it with the same big focus we have had since the start of the competition,” reflected Pape Gueye.

Meanwhile, Mali booked their place in the quarter-finals after defeating Tunisia 3-2 on penalties following a hard-fought draw in regulation time and extra time (1-1), despite playing with 10 men from the first half after a red card to Wayo Coulibaly at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca.

“I am proud of the goalkeeper (Djigui Diarra) and of all the players. Before the match, I told them that they are champions. If we had played with 11 players, we might have had even more advantages,” said Mali coach Tom Saintfiet.

Senegal and Mali will meet in Tangier on Friday, 9 January.