Algeria fails again in the group stages of the Africa Cup. The Fennecs exit AFCON 2023, and several stars are expected to retire from international football.
The thunderclap arrived this Tuesday evening with Mauritania’s victory over Algeria. In this match, despite Algerian dominance, it remains unproductive. Mauritania adopts a compact strategy and relies on counter-attacks, a tactic that proves successful as they manage to open the scoring. On a corner, Mandrea deflects the ball outside the penalty area, a shot brings it back into the danger zone, and Dellahi finishes the job (37th, 1-0). The Mourabitounes, rather than celebrating a simple victory, hold at halftime an equally historic qualification.
Algeria packs its bags… already
The Fennecs need to react, and Mahrez comes in for Aouar. However, it’s the Mauritanians who continue to stand out. They have two consecutive corners, and on the second one, Mandrea has to make a save to salvage the situation (53rd). Algeria aims to respond, but the Algerian block is completely disjointed and too slow to trouble the Mauritanian collective.
Instead of waiting for the Fennecs, the Mourabitounes try to put them in difficulty with Koïta particularly lively, weaving through defenders reduced to the status of cones. However, the conclusion lacks precision (56th). Unable to disturb Mauritania in the game, the Algerians turn to set pieces. Lacking sharpness, the Algerians face difficulties, and Ba comes close to doubling the lead, but his shot hits Mandrea’s crossbar (83rd). The referee grants eleven long minutes to the Algerians to recover, but it seems that the match could have lasted 111 more minutes without changing the result.
Mauritania wins the match and qualifies for the knockout stages. Two years after Cameroon, Algeria once again exits AFCON through the back door, still without winning a match since their 2019 triumph in the continental competition. It is likely the end of a cycle for the Fennecs.
After this surprising elimination of Algeria from AFCON 2023, several players, including Riyad Mahrez, could announce their international retirement. According to El Marma, several Algerian internationals are contemplating retirement following the Fennecs’ debacle at AFCON. Among the mentioned players are Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani, Aïssa Mandi, Raïs M’Bolhi, Sofiane Feghouli, Nabil Bentaleb, Baghdad Bounedjah, and Youcef Belaïli.
Algeria’s key players considering international retirement
It is likely the end of an era for the Algerian team. Daniel Riolo believes that many stars are simply finished. He attributes the failure to the mediocrity of the players, a coach at the end of his tether, and describes the situation as total decay for the team. Riolo states that many players in the team are now on the decline, pointing out Ounas as a substitute in Ligue 1 and Belaili as an overrated player, according to his comments on the show “L’After.”
In a press conference, Algerian coach Djamel Belmadi expresses his helplessness in the face of the situation. He acknowledges the lack of goals and mentions mysterious moments in football, emphasizing that they failed to score despite several opportunities.
“Every time we concede a semblance of a chance, it ends up in the back of the net. We can go back to all the goals conceded. There are things I can’t explain. Then we can’t score even though we have plenty of chances. There’s a part of the mystery of football… If we weren’t creating clear chances, if we were dominated by other teams, I would say that things aren’t right. That’s not the case. There’s a part that I can’t explain, but it’s a reality,” he says.
Djamel Belmadi knows that his future at the helm of the Algerian national team is uncertain, hanging by a thread.
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