Burkina Faso booked their place in the knockout rounds of the Africa Cup of Nations thanks to a decisive contribution from Shakhtar Donetsk forward Lassina Traoré, who emerged as one of the heroes against Sudan.

The striker opened the scoring in the 16th minute, netting his first goal at the Africa Cup of Nations. The breakthrough came after a costly defensive error from Sudan. A misplaced pass in their own half was quickly punished, with the ball worked into the penalty area before a pinpoint cross found Lassina Traoré at the far post. The Shakhtar man kept his composure, powering a header into the net to give Burkina Faso a deserved lead.

The 1–0 scoreline held deep into the second half, but in the 85th minute Burkina Faso finally sealed the result. A perfectly weighted through ball released Kouassi — racing clear of the defence before finishing low past the goalkeeper to spark celebrations.

The win confirmed victory on the night and secured second place in Group E for Burkina Faso, ensuring their progression to the AFCON last 16.

2025 Africa Cup of Nations

Sudan - Burkina Faso 0:2 (0:1)
Goals: Traoré Las., 16 (0:1); Kouassi A., 85 (0:2)

Sudan: Abooja; Kesra; Abaker; Awad; Mohamedein; Adil (Abdalla, 90); Zayed; Muzmel (Tia Asad, 60); Abdallah; Mano; Nouh A-J. (Karshoum, 81)
Substitution: Tia Asad (from 60); Karshoum (from 81); Abdalla (from 90)
Bench: Eshrein; Alnil; Ering; Khamis; Tabanja; Barglan; Taifour; Khedr; Raouf; Abdelrahman; Eisa M.; Hussein

Burkina Faso: Koffi (Nikiema K., 46); Tapsoba E.; Dayo (Nagalo, 59); Simporé; Kouassi A.; Touré I. B.; Badolo; Aziz Ki (Zougrana, 74); Minoungou; Irié (Ouattara Da., 59); Traoré Las. (Kabore P. L., 74)
Substitution: Nikiema K. (from 46); Nagalo (from 59); Ouattara Da. (from 59); Zougrana (from 74); Kabore P. L. (from 74)
Bench: Ouedraogo S.; Ayindé; Djiga; Yago; Kaboré I.; Ouédraogo Ism.; Traore B.; Bouda
Yellow Cards: Badolo 35; Zougrana 88