SOUTH AFRICA coach Hugo Broos has promised to show "no mercy" to Cameroon when Bafana Bafana take on his former side in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16 on Sunday.

Broos will lead the team out at Al Medina Stadium in Rabat against the nation he guided to a surprise AFCON triumph in Gabon in 2017.

Senegal march on

Elsewhere in the tournament, Senegal secured a place in the quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory over Sudan on Saturday. Pape Gueye scored twice to help the 2022 champions recover from an early deficit. 

Sudan had stunned Senegal when Aamir Abdallah, a semi-professional playing in Australia, curled in an early opener. But Gueye equalised with a goal set up by Sadio Mane just before the half-hour mark and added a second in stoppage time of the first half. Ibrahim Mbaye sealed the win in the 77th minute, tapping in a long pass to make it 3-1.

Gueye highlighted the team’s resilience after their comeback against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the group stage: "We showed against Congo that we are capable of coming from behind in a game and that is what we did tonight, so we are very happy," he said. 

"It means a lot. It shows how good the spirit in the camp is. It was a very difficult match. We played against Sudan before and they made life hard for us. But we managed to keep our focus and score when the chances came along."

Dramatic Mali victory over Tunisia

Mali advanced after a tense penalty shootout, defeating Tunisia 3-2 following a 1-1 draw. Despite being reduced to 10 men in the 26th minute when Woyo Coulibaly was sent off, the Eagles of Carthage battled on. 

Tunisia appeared to have the upper hand when Firas Chaouat headed them in front in the 88th minute, but Mali were awarded a penalty in stoppage time, which Lassine Sinayoko converted to force extra time.

With no goals in extra time, the match went to penalties. Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra made crucial saves, while El Bilal Touré scored the decisive kick. Mali coach Tom Saintfiet praised his team: "Before the game I said my team were already heroes and now there is no other word after we played for so long with 10 men. Every player fought for their country and did everything to stay in this competition."

Mali will face Senegal at the Grand Stade de Tanger in Tangier on Friday, with a semi-final spot at stake.

AFCON last-16 schedule

The last-16 round continues on Sunday in Rabat when hosts Morocco play Tanzania, who are making their AFCON knockout debut, followed by South Africa against Cameroon in the late kick-off.