Former Champion, Algeria Dumped Out Of Nations Cup After 1-0 Loss To Mauritania

Former champion, Algeria suffered an embarrassing 1-0 loss to Mauritania to crash out of the 2023 Nations Cup in the first round.

The 2019 champions needed just a draw to guarantee them a place in the second round, but they found Mauritania a tough nut to crack.

Yali Dellahi gave Mauritania the lead in the 37th minute against the run of play to stun Algeria.

Algeria struggled to find their rhythm in the first half as they trailed going into the break.

Mauritania came out of the second half, all pumped up with intent, but they wasted too many clear-cut chances to increase their lead.

Riyad Mahrez, who was surprisingly left on the bench came on in the second half and his introduction added bite to the Fennec’s attack, he provided pin point crosses into the box which his teammates failed to convert.

Mauritania goalkeeper, Babacar Niasse was on top of his game during the closing moments of the encounter, producing stunning saves to deny the Algerians and confirm his country’s place in the second round of the competition.

This is Mauritania’s third outing in the competition, having participated in 2019 and 2021.

Algeria have now failed to qualify for the second round in their last two nations’ cup competitions, also failing to record a win since their triumph in 2019.

In the other Group D game, Angola defeated Burkina Faso 2-0 to finish top of the table with seven points, while Burkina Faso came second with four points.

Mauritania finished third with three points and qualified as one of the best losers. They will now face another suprise package, Cape Verde in the last 16 on Monday.