Arsene Kouassi walked off the pitch in Casablanca with quiet satisfaction after capping Burkina Faso’s 2-0 win over Sudan with a late, clinical finish that reflected his growing importance to the Stallions.
Burkina Faso had already set the tone when Lassina Traoré rose highest at a 16th-minute corner to give them a deserved lead, but the game stayed tense as Sudan pushed for a response. Al Gozoli Nooh’s missed penalty shifted the momentum, and Kouassi later sensed the moment to kill the contest, timing his run into the box perfectly before calmly slotting home from close range five minutes from time.
Named TotalEnergies Man of the Match, Kouassi admitted how much the occasion meant to him, saying: “I am happy to have been named Man of the Match. It was a difficult game against Sudan, but we managed to achieve our objective.” He stressed that his performance was the product of constant work and a desire to help Burkina Faso advance deep into the tournament.
Looking ahead to the Round of 16, Kouassi underlined his ambition and hunger: “I have big goals to achieve and I will give even more of myself. I will not stop here; I will continue working to reach the objectives of our national team. We will fight hard in the Round of 16, because we have a goal to achieve.”
