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Gusau, Zidane and Motsepe Watch as Algeria Open AFCON 2025 With Win Over Sudan

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5 days ago

11:42 am

Gusau, Zidane and Motsepe Watch as Algeria Open AFCON 2025 With Win Over Sudan

The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, was among a host of high-profile football dignitaries in attendance as Algeria began their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a convincing 3–0 victory over Sudan.

Gusau was joined in the stands by French football legend Zinedine Zidane and CAF President Patrice Motsepe, as the Group E clash produced a historic milestone with Luca Zidane making his AFCON debut for Algeria.

All eyes were on the goalkeeper — the son of the former France and Real Madrid icon — as he started between the posts for Les Verts. Luca Zidane delivered a calm and assured performance, keeping a clean sheet on his Africa Cup of Nations debut as Algeria dominated proceedings from start to finish.

Algeria asserted their authority early, controlling possession and repeatedly opening up a Sudanese side that struggled to cope with the North Africans’ pace, movement and technical superiority. Their clinical display ensured a comfortable win and an ideal start to their tournament.

The emphatic result reinforced Algeria’s status as one of the favourites for the title, sending a strong message to their rivals in the competition.

The presence of prominent figures such as Gusau, Zidane and Motsepe added extra prestige to the encounter, underlining the global appeal of the Africa Cup of Nations and the significance of Luca Zidane’s emergence on the continental stage.

Algeria will now look to build on the momentum in their remaining group fixtures, while Sudan face a difficult task as they attempt to revive their AFCON campaign.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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