2012 Afcon: Sudan breaks goal jinx

Sudan broke their seemingly ‘goal curse’ at the Africa Cup of Nations after coming from behind twice to hold Angola to a 2-2 draw in their Group B clash on Thursday in Malabo.

It was the first of goals to be scored by the Desert Hawks since March 6, 1976 where they held DR Congo (there Zaire) to a 1-1 draw in their group phase clash.

Famous striker Ali Gagarine, now a diplomat scored the only goal for the Sudanese in that encounter, with Mulumba N’daye scoring for the Congolese.

It however took more than 120 minutes for the 1970 African champions to score again after their score-less campaign at the 2008 edition hosted in Ghana.

The hero this time was Al-Hilal forward Mohammed Bashir who scored in each half as his team clinched a vital draw against the Palancas Negras in the Equatorial Guinean capital.

For Bashir, he will go into the history books for breaking a supposed ‘curse’ which stood for 36-years.

The Desert Hawks have a slim chance of advancing to the next round as Angola face Cote d’Ivoire in the ultimate Group C match next Monday in Malabo.

The Elephants are already qualified with six points, two richer than Angola whilst Sudan has a single point.

Source: GNA