Algeria booked their place in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations after captain Riyad Mahrez converted a penalty to clinch a 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso on Sunday.
The Manchester City star stepped up midway through the first half at Rabat’s Moulay El Hassan Stadium and made no mistake from the spot, giving Algeria the lead which they held to the final whistle in a hard-fought encounter.
African champions in 1990 and 2019, Algeria now have a perfect six points from two games in Group E and remain unbeaten and yet to concede, confirming their status as pre-tournament favourites under coach Vladimir Petkovic.
With Burkina Faso and Sudan on three points each, Algeria are guaranteed a top-two finish in the group, even ahead of their final match against Equatorial Guinea, who are yet to earn a point. Burkina Faso and Sudan will meet in the final round of group games on Wednesday.
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The Desert Foxes’ triumph came as redemption for their 2-2 draw with Burkina Faso in the last AFCON in Ivory Coast, a result that contributed to Algeria’s group-stage exit. This time, Mahrez’s penalty, awarded after Manchester City’s Rayan Ait-Nouri was fouled in the box, proved decisive.
The 23rd-minute strike was Mahrez’s third goal of the tournament, following his brace in Algeria’s 3-0 opening win over Sudan. The winger, appearing in his sixth AFCON, now holds nine goals in total at the competition, setting a new Algerian record.
The match was played before a lively crowd of 18,522, dominated by Algerian supporters. Among the spectators was France legend Zinedine Zidane, who watched his son Luca feature in goal for the Desert Foxes.
Burkina Faso came close to equalising when Hearts striker Pierre Landry Kabore headed narrowly over from a corner. Algeria nearly doubled their lead before halftime when Mahrez set up Mohamed Amoura, whose effort was denied by goalkeeper Herve Koffi.
In the second half, Bayer Leverkusen’s Ibrahim Maza squandered two promising chances, while substitute Georgi Minoungou fired just over as Burkina Faso pressed unsuccessfully for an equaliser.
Algeria’s victory consolidates their dominance in Group E and sets the stage for a high-stakes knockout phase.
