History was made on Saturday as Senegal booked their place in the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations with an impressive come-from-behind 3-1 victory over Sudan at the Tangier Grand Stadium in Tangier, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

An early strike from Aamir Abdallah briefly stunned Senegal, but the Teranga Lions responded in emphatic fashion. 

Pape Gueye struck twice to turn the contest around before substitute Ibrahima Mbaye sealed the win with a late finish, completing a commanding comeback.

Mbaye's goal in the 77th minute was particularly significant as the Paris Saint-Germain forward became the youngest player to score at the Africa Cup of Nations in the 21st century, surpassing a long-standing record set by former Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel two decades ago.

Mikel achieved the feat on his Afcon debut, needing less than eight minutes to open his goalscoring account after coming off the bench to replace Wilson Oruma. 

Aged 18 years, 9 months and 5 days, the former Chelsea midfielder produced a superb strike from just outside the penalty area to beat the Zimbabwe goalkeeper and secure a 2-0 victory for the Super Eagles.

Third on the list of the youngest goalscorers at the Africa Cup of Nations in the 21st century is another retired Nigeria international Victor Obinna, who found the net at 18 years, 10 months and 10 days against Tunisia in 2006.

Other Nigerian players to score at the Afcon as teenagers in the 21st century include Yakubu Aiyegbeni, who netted against Mali in 2002, and Julius Aghahowa, who scored against Algeria at the same tournament.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel