CAN 2025: Maza, 20, comes on and makes history

24.12.25 FT AFCON - Africa Cup of Nations

Algeria

3

:

Sudan

0

Vladimir Petkovic kept him on the bench, favoring Atal's experience over the raw energy of a youngster. Just twenty-five minutes later, that decision already looked outdated: Algeria were stuck in first gear, Sudan were locking down the pitch, and the crowd was clamoring for fresh blood. Entering in the 63rd minute, Ibrahim Maza took just ten seconds to erase any doubts: first touch, inside cut, turn-and-pass, and the stadium erupted. The young Leverkusen midfielder wasn't just playing—he was dancing between two defenses, conjuring spaces where none seemed to exist. "I ran without thinking, I was hungry to show what I could do," he said to the microphone, childlike smile, man's voice.

In the 85th minute, he put the game to bed: starting from twenty meters out, darting through the middle, unleashing a low drive that thundered past the keeper. 3-0, match sealed, stands breathless. In a flash, Maza became the youngest ever Algerian scorer in AFCON history—20 years and 30 days—erasing Nabil Bentaleb (20 years, 65 days, 2015) from the record books. The 100th goal for the Fennecs in the competition, the 100th reason to believe in a new era. Cameras zoomed in on him, teammates mobbed him, the crowd chanted his name like a prayer.

Tonight, he left the pitch with his headphones on, already somewhere else in his mind. The crowd favorite status is locked, but a starting role remains up in the air. When questioned, Petkovic cracked a half-smile: "He forced the coach's hand, not fate's." The kid listens, nods, packs his boots. Tomorrow, he might be a substitute again—or not; the only thing that matters, he says, "is that the team moves forward, and I move with it." Between two generations, an assist to himself.

Read also: CAN 2025 / Algeria 3 - 0 Sudan: Ismaël Bennacer tells it like it is, right after the match

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

Related teams and leagues

Algeria

Sudan

AFCON - Africa Cup of Nations