Saturday 19 June 2021, 07:00

Sudan seal spot at FIFA Arab Cup

  • Sudan beat Libya 1-0 to qualify for the FIFA Arab Cup

  • Mohammed Abdelrahman scored the all-important goal from the penalty spot

  • Qualifiers to determine the remaining six participants

Mohammed Abdelrahman was the match-winner as Sudan secured their place at the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™ with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Libya in Doha.

In a tight, evenly matched encounter, the decisive moment arrived after just 15 minutes when Sudan were awarded a penalty following a late challenge by Ali Salama on Seif El-Din Malik. Abdelrahman assumed responsibility and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with a calmly dispatched spot-kick.

Libya pressed hard for an equaliser in the second half but it was to no avail, as Sudan held on bravely to their narrow advantage.

The victors will now join hosts Qatar, Iraq, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Algeria in the tournament’s final phase from 30 November to 18 December, with the remaining qualifiers set to decide the other six participants in the days ahead.