By Samindra Kunti
January 21 – Defending champions Algeria exited the Africa Cup of Nations after a lacklustre 3-1 defeat at the hands of Ivory Coast. With a single point from three matches, the North Africans finished bottom of Group E.
On Wednesday, Ghana became the first major casualty of the continental finals and the reigning champions and sky-high favourites Algeria were next on Thursday. Franck Kessié and Ibrahim Sangare scored for the Ivorians before the break and Nicolas Pepe added a third before Sofiane Bendebka got some consolation in the 73rd minute.
The Algerians were lethargic and without much fighting spirit for much of the 90 minutes and the defeat marked an ignominious exit for the Algerians, who had come into the tournament on an unbeaten run of 34 matches but failed to beat Sierra Leone in their opening match before slumping to a humiliating 1-0 defeat against Equatorial Guinea.
In 1992, Algeria also crashed out of the competition in the first round as defending champions. In the last five editions, the holders have now exited the competition three times in the group stage.
“It’s difficult to make a rational analysis at the moment,” said Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi. “We wanted to make up lost ground in this match, we weren’t able to do that. When we didn’t convert our chances early on, perhaps doubt set in. Even penalties we struggled to score.”
He added: “Everyone’s preparation was chaotic. Three days before we were to receive our players, we are told that they’d come one week later. We cancel our game against the Gambia. Lots of players that struggled with Covid, who can only half-train and have to stay in their rooms.”
His team had come into the tournament with high hopes, even seeking to emulate Italy’s world-record run of 37 matches unbeaten, but Algeria failed to ignite and their campaign came crashing down in spectacular fashion in the space of nine days.
Their departure means Africa will crown a new champion on February 6. The playing field is more open than ever. The tournament’s two debutants, Gambia and Comoros, were both confirmed in the last 16. Tom Saintfiet’s Gambian team defeated Tunisia 1-0 to finish second behind Mali on seven points in Group F. Comoros, who knocked Ghana out of the competition, progressed after Sierra Leone’s defeat by Equatorial Guinea and the Ivory Coast’s victory.
They will meet the hosts Cameroon in the second round. In the other blockbusters of the last 16, Egypt take on Ivory Coast and Nigeria play Tunisia.
Round of 16:
23/01
Burkina Faso – Gabon
Nigeria – Tunisia
24/01
Guinea – Gambia
Cameroon – Comoros
25/01
Senegal – Cape Verde
Morocco – Malawi
26/01
Mali – Equatorial Guinea
Egypt – Ivory Coast
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