Algeria book last-16 spot at AFCON with Mahrez penalty win over Burkina Faso
Algeria have secured their place in the round of 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations after Riyad Mahrez scored a penalty to hand them a 1-0 victory against Burkina Faso on Sunday.
The Algerian captain calmly converted from the spot in the 23rd minute at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, and his side held on to claim the hard-fought win in a physical encounter against a resilient Burkina Faso team.
Having already beaten Sudan 3-0 in their opening match, Algeria now have six points from two games, with no goals conceded, reinforcing their status as one of the tournament favourites under coach Vladimir Petkovic.
Burkina Faso and Sudan both sit on three points, and their upcoming group match on Wednesday will decide second place in Group E. Algeria are already guaranteed to finish top of the group, even if they lose their final match against winless Equatorial Guinea, and will play a last-16 tie in Rabat on January 6.
“We expected a very tough game. We fought hard, and the most important thing is that we won. Now we are qualified, which was our main objective,” said Ibrahim Maza, Algeria’s Bayer Leverkusen forward and man of the match.
“We knew they would be strong, but we were ready to fight, tackle hard, and play physically — and we did that well today,” he added, reflecting on the intensity of the match.
Algeria’s penalty came after Manchester City’s Rayan Ait-Nouri was fouled in the box. Mahrez made no mistake with the spot-kick, taking his tournament tally to three goals, following his two goals in the 3-0 win over Sudan. Appearing in his sixth AFCON, the former Leicester and Manchester City winger now holds nine career goals, an Algerian record at the competition.
The stadium was packed with 18,522 fans, creating a lively atmosphere, with French football legend Zinedine Zidane among those in attendance to watch his son, Luca, in goal for Algeria.
Burkina Faso had their chances to equalise, including a header from Pierre Landry Kabore, but Algerian goalkeeper Herve Koffi and the defence held firm. Maza missed two good opportunities in the second half, and substitute Georgi Minoungou fired over late on as Burkina Faso’s efforts to salvage a point fell short.
Algeria’s victory marks redemption from their last AFCON meeting with Burkina Faso in the Ivory Coast, where they had to come from two goals down to draw 2-2, a result that contributed to their group-stage exit.
