On 24/12 at Moulay Hassan stadium, Algeria took an early lead in the 2nd minute with a left-footed curling shot from Riyad Mahrez, formerly of Leicester and Man City. They gained a man advantage when Salah Adel of Sudan was sent off in the 39th minute. In the second half, Algeria scored two more goals through Mahrez and Ibrahim Maza.

Zinedine Zidane attended Algeria's 3-0 victory over Sudan in their opening Africa Cup of Nations 2025 group E match on 24/12. *Photo: TouchlineX*

The match garnered attention due to the presence of Zinedine Zidane in the stands. The former French football legend attended to watch and support his son, Luca. The goalkeeper made a crucial intervention in the first half, rushing out to make a save when faced with Yaser Awad Boshara. When Zinedine Zidane was shown on the stadium's big screen, the Moulay Hassan stadium erupted.

Luca contributed to Algeria's first Africa Cup of Nations win in 2,350 days, since their final victory over Senegal on 19/7/2019. In the two most recent tournaments in 2021 and 2023, Algeria failed to secure a win and finished at the bottom of their group.

In their two subsequent Group E AFCON 2025 matches, Luca and his teammates will face Burkina Faso on 28/12 and Equatorial Guinea on 31/12.

Luca Zidane (in black) kept a clean sheet in his Africa Cup of Nations debut. *Photo: ESPN*

Born in France in 1998, Luca played for various French youth teams. He was part of the U17 squad that won the U17 European Championship in 2015 and participated in the FIFA U17 World Cup that same year. He also made one appearance for the France U20 team in 3/2018.

On 19/9/2025, FIFA approved Luca's change of national allegiance from France to Algeria. He received a call-up on 2/10/2025 for the World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Somalia and Uganda. Twelve days later, Luca made his Algeria debut, starting in goal in their 2-1 win over Uganda.

At the club level, Luca came through the Real Madrid academy but could not secure a first-team spot. The 27-year-old goalkeeper moved to Racing Santander, Rayo Vallecano, and Eibar before currently playing for Granada.

Hong Duy