His heart obviously beat very hard for Algeria but he never had time to get carried away during the quarter-final against Nigeria. Nordine Kourichi knows the weight of the selection. He was international 30 times, notably participating in the great adventure of the 1982 World Cup. Coach, he was also Vahid Halilhodzic’s deputy (2011-2014) when the latter led Algeria. He nevertheless believes that the disappointment of this 2026 African Cup of Nations was predictable a few months before the World Cup.
Should we be disappointed by this elimination?
Nordine Kourichi: This is not a disappointment as Nigeria was, in all areas, better than Algeria. She was asphyxiated in the first half by a very physical block. But the problem is that the Algerians had a very low block. They couldn’t go any higher because of the athletic power of this Nigerian team. With her, there are automatisms that have been created and the players know each other perfectly. Unlike Algeria which does not have much stability. There is no typical team like in Nigeria or Morocco. The Algerian players have been there for a very short time and the difference was first made there.
You quickly understood that there would be no miracle…
Yes. Because Nigeria has shown us a very pleasant face. And Algeria was not likely to find the fault. The balloon monopoly was Nigerian. When we see that in the first half, it was 70% of possession for Nigeria, that says it all.
But could we imagine such Algerian apathy?
Algeria completely failed because it faced a team that completely asphyxiated it. Nigeria was too strong. Note that they scored their thirteenth and fourteenth goals of the competition. They have a game which brings a lot of efficiency and which puts the attackers in the best position to score.
“Nigeria has the profile of a future winner”
Can Nigeria cause problems for Morocco in the semi-final?
Oh yes! Watch out for Nigeria! It’s a team full of power, intelligence and control of the ball. Morocco must expect a very difficult match. From what we saw during this quarter-final, Nigeria has the profile of a future winner of the CAN.
You say that Algeria lacks automation. Is this worrying in view of the next World Cup where they will face Austria, Jordan but especially Argentina?
This CAN will provide valuable elements for the World Cup. There are lessons to be learned. But Algeria lacks too much stability to dream. When we look at Morocco, on Wednesday, she will play with 80% of her team which was fielded during the 2022 World Cup. With us, in Algeria, this is not the case. Everything changes. It’s just new players who have just arrived. I take the example of the goalkeeper, Luca Zidane.
Did he disappoint you?
This is only his fourth match. How can you work correctly with your defense before a major competition? It becomes difficult for him because he is an arriving player. He is not the only one. There are too many changes in the national team. It’s a big problem and we saw the difference with a team that knows itself very well: Nigeria is possession of the ball, automatisms and blind passes. There was everything today. Nigeria was above in all areas. And Algeria had no common experience.
