The draw for Algeria’s first match against Angola did not bode well (1-1). The Fennecs did not succeed this Saturday afternoon in turning the tide of a complicated start to the African Cup of Nations. Djamel Belmadi’s men were even very scared against Burkina Faso before equalizing in the last seconds of the match (2-2). Algeria, with two small points in two matches, is still far from being in the 8th.
But it’s the level of play that still worries us, especially in the first half. As against Angola, the Fennecs did not show much despite a fairly clear domination over their opponent of the day, before being surprised against the run of play. Almost inevitably. Launched on a cross from far away on the edge of offside, Mohamed Konaté catapulted his head under the bar of Anthony Mandrea who could do nothing to tip Burkina Faso in front in added time of the first half-time (0-1, 45 + 3rd).
Riyad Mahrez’s teammates, still transparent, then had great success to pick up the score barely five minutes after returning from the locker room. After a mix-up after a poorly taken free kick from Youcef Belaili, Baghdad Bounedjah, still established at the forefront of the attack, came to push the ball into the back of the net (1-1, 51st).
Bounedjah in savior mode
But Belmadi’s men did not manage to get ahead of the score and were punished again on their own highlight, following an error from Rayan Aït-Nouri, author of a clumsy kick in the shin of Former Marseillais Issa Kaboré. It was another former Ligue 1 resident Bertrand Traoré who converted the offering from a penalty (1-2, 70th). Condemned to return under penalty of being in great danger, the Algerians pushed but the last 20 minutes of attack-defense on the Burkinabe goal yielded nothing… Until the 93 minute, and an angry header from a corner from Bounedjah.
With this draw at the last minute, Algeria is currently 2nd in its group before Mauritania-Angola kicks off at 6 p.m. The Fennecs would do better to win in their last match against Mauritania, scheduled for this Tuesday at 9 p.m. to secure a place in the 8th and avoid complicated calculations. As a reminder, the four best 3rd in the group will qualify for the final phase. For its part, Burkina Faso had a perfect start to the competition with two victories in two matches and still no goals conceded. Their place in the round of 16 is already assured.
