A draw against Sierra Leone (0-0) then a defeat against Equatorial Guinea (0-1): after two games, the reigning African champion is very close to breaking during CAN 2022. This Thursday, the Fennecs can still change everything if they beat the Ivory Coast on the last day of group matches. And hopefully that will be enough to crack one of the top two spots or, worst-case scenario, sneak into the top four third out of the six groups.
At a press conference this Wednesday, coach Djamel Belmadi did not appreciate it at all when a journalist told him that his team had been unrecognizable since the start of the competition. “Not to contradict what you say, but I disagree with everything you just said. Algeria unrecognizable, disorganized? Where do you get that from? I don’t know what could have led you to these kinds of comments. »
“We absolutely have to win if we want to continue to exist”
For the coach of Algeria, the only truth concerns the lack of realism of his team which largely dominated its two opponents, considered the weakest on paper. “We lacked address. We took a goal from a set piece which was gag in the sense that the action ended with a flat foot on a corner. Which is implausible. The last ten minutes of the match against Equatorial Guinea are anecdotal. »
The coach of the Fennecs knows that his team can reverse the trend this Thursday against Côte d’Ivoire. But, this time, it will be necessary to score goals, to ensure a better goal average, if by chance the qualification should go through a third place. “We absolutely have to win if we want to continue to exist. It’s a big challenge. We know this stuff and we have always responded, ”concludes Belmadi.
