Now with Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia, Mahrez got his and his team's second goal just after the hour mark and Bayer Leverkusen's Ibrahim Maza wrapped up the win late on, as Algeria started in the best possible fashion.

"I'm very happy," Maza told the reporters. "My first goal in my first African Cup game, it couldn't go any better for me."

Zidane watches son

Among the spectators in the Moroccan capital was France legend Zinedine Zidane, whose parents came from Algeria and whose son Luca was starting in goal for the Desert Foxes.

His appearance on big screens in the ground drew huge cheers from Algerian supporters, who will have been delighted to see their team produce a convincing performance.

Algeria was eliminated in the first round without a win at each of the last two AFCON tournaments, but wasted no time in breaking the deadlock against the group outsider.

The match was little over a minute old when Mohamed Amoura's ball across the penalty box was met by a back-heel from Hicham Boudaoui to tee up Mahrez. He took a touch before firing in.

Zidane then did well to save at the feet of Sudan's Yaser Awad Boshara, but Algeria was by far the better side.

Sudan's chances of getting back into the game were then severely dented when Salaheldin Adil was sent off six minutes before the interval for a second booking after chopping down Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Ramy Bensebaini had a goal disallowed for offside moments later, but Mahrez made it 2-0 on 61 minutes after he connected with a lovely outside-of-the-boot assist from Amoura.

Mahrez, appearing at his sixth AFCON, now has eight goals at the tournament. He came off to an ovation from the Algerian fans late on.

With five minutes left, substitute Maza finished from a Baghdad Bounedjah knockdown to score Algeria's 100th AFCON goal and make it 3-0.

Sudan has now won just once in 17 Cup of Nations matches since lifting the trophy in 1970.

Earlier in the same group, Burkina Faso came from behind to beat 10-man Equatorial Guinea 2-1 thanks to two goals deep in injury time.

Basilio Ndong was sent off just after halftime for Equatorial Guinea, but it looked set to win the game when substitute Marvin Anieboh headed in on 85 minutes.

However, Georgi Minoungou equalized in the fifth added minute before Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba grabbed a dramatic 98th-minute winner.

AFP