The 2022 Africa Cup has become a major disappointment for Algeria. The North Africans were counted among the favorites for the final win, but have already had to leave the tournament. In the last group match against Ivory Coast, the Algerians lost 3-1. Ivory Coast must be taken into account for the final win.
A meager 1 in 9 in a group with Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea. That is the painful balance of the Algeria tournament. However, the Algerians have some excellent footballers in their ranks, including Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City), Islam Slimani (Olympique Lyon) and Sofian Feghouli (Galatasaray).
Algeria should have done better in its first two matches, because in the last group match, Ivory Coast faced by far the most difficult opponent. The Ivorians have a strong team that includes Franck Kessié (AC Milan), Nicolas Pépé (Arsenal) and Sébastien Haller (Ajax). Old acquaintances Odilon Kossounou and Simon Deli, both ex-Club Brugge, form the heart of the defence.
Photo: REUTERS
Penaltymisser Mahrez
After just under an hour of play, Kessié, Sangaré and Pépé had already decided the match. As if a 3-0 deficit wasn’t painful enough, Riyad Mahrez missed another penalty on the hour. Fifteen minutes before the end, Bendebka was able to moderate to 3-1. Ivory Coast made a strong impression and can certainly win this Africa Cup.
In the other group E match, Equatorial Guinea defeated Sierra Leone by the smallest margin. Pablo Ganet, attacking midfielder for Spanish second division Real Murcia, scored the only goal of the game. Equatorial Guinea is second in the group for the knockout phase.
Photo: AP
Thanks to the defeats of Algeria and Sierra Leone, the Comoros as the best third is sure of a place in the eighth finals. In this, the host country Cameroon takes part. Ivory Coast will face Egypt and Equatorial Guinea will face the winner of group F (Gambia, Mali or Tunisia).
