Sudan coach Kwesi Appiah singled out praise for Burkina Faso after their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) fixture at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca on Wednesday.

Having lost to Algeria on matchday two, Burkina recovered to beat the East Africans 2-0 to confirm second place in Group E. After dominating the first half, goals from Lassina Traoré and Arsène Kouassi ensured the Stallions finished the group stage with six points.

They stayed three behind group winners Algeria, while Sudan progressed despite defeat, their earlier results already enough to secure a Round of 16 berth.

“It was a difficult match against Burkina Faso and our opponent deserved their victory. As I said before the match, we were going to face a tough team, most of whose players play for big clubs,” said Appiah.

“When you play against such teams, you realize how difficult the task is. The players tried to give their best, but this is football and you can never be certain of anything. I learned many lessons from this match, which will help me prepare for the upcoming games.”

Sudan will now face Senegal in the knockout stages on Saturday.