New Delhi, Dec. 29 -- Amid Sudan's apocalypse of airstrikes and famine, footballers dodge bullets and separation to deliver rare Cup of Nations triumph, igniting fragile hope in a shattered nation.

In the shadow of Sudan's unending civil war, where airstrikes shatter the dawn and famine gnaws at the bones of millions, a flicker of defiance has emerged on the pitches of Morocco. Sudanese footballers, scattered by conflict, have stunned the Africa Cup of Nations with a rare 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea, an own-goal triumph that feels like a miracle amid the carnage. As bombs fall on Nyala and refugees flood Chad, these players embody a nation's desperate grasp for normalcy.

The victory on December 27 in Rabat was no fluke of fortune. Su...