Zidane keeps the zero again, the round of 16 is booked: Algeria’s national football team has reached its first intermediate goal at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
“Les Fennecs” defeated Burkina Faso 1-0 (1-0) in their second game and secured victory in Group E with six points and 4-0 goals.
Midfield star Riyad Mahrez, a key player at Manchester City for many years, scored decisively with a penalty kick (23rd). Luca Zidane – son of French football icon Zinédine Zidane, who once again kept his fingers crossed in the stands – kept his box clean, as he did in the opening win against Sudan (3-0). Algeria, African champions in 2025, were eliminated in the group phase of the 2021 and 2023 editions.
There was also a small Bundesliga class meeting at the Prince Heritier Moulay El Hassan stadium in the Moroccan capital Rabat: Ramy Bensebaini (Dortmund), Ibrahim Maza from Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg’s Mohammed Amoura were in the starting line-up for Algeria, while Maza’s club colleague Edmond Tapsoba started in defense for Burkina Faso. In addition, Frankfurt’s Farès Chaibi came on as a substitute for Algeria in the final phase.
Amoura (45th + 5) missed a great chance to make it 2-0 shortly before the break. Leverkusen’s Maza also missed a top-class player (67th).
Sudan defeats Equatorial Guinea
Sudan had previously won 1-0 (1-0) against Algeria’s last group opponent Equatorial Guinea and is now level with Burkina Faso.
Gabon, with former Bundesliga top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (36), lost 2:3 (1:2) in Group F against outsiders Mozambique, who thus achieved their first ever win at an African Championship. Gabon is still without a point. In the evening there will be the top game in this group between the German World Cup group opponents and defending champions Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon.