Algeria got crashed back down to earth as they were held to a shocking 1-1 draw by Angola in their Africa Cup of Nations opener on Monday at Stade de la Paix, becoming another African giant to be stopped from picking a full 3 points in three-days old tournament.
The 2019 champions took the lead in the 18th minute through Baghdad Bounedjah after a sublime pass from Youcef Belaili allowed the striker to finish with aplomb.
They got off to a fine start at the Stade de la Paix, with Youcef Belaili providing a superb ball in behind the Angolan defence for Bounedjah to score with a lovely first-time finish with the outside of his right foot.
But a second half penalty by Angola’s Mabululu canceled out Algeria’s advantage and denied them a winning start.
Nabil Bentaleb was penalised for bringing down Mabululu, and the Egypt-based striker stepped up to take the penalty, his effort hitting the underside of the bar before bouncing down well over the line.
Bounedjah thought he had doubled Algeria’s lead when he scored a breathtaking overhead kick, only to have it chalked off for offside. That miss would come back to haunt them.
Algeria, who also won the AFCON in 1990 but limped out of the last edition in the group stage two years ago, follow Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana and Cameroon among heavyweight nations who have failed to win their opening game at the tournament.
With Algeria unable to extend their lead despite dominating possession, Angola won a controversial penalty in the 65th minute when Mabululu went down in the box. He stepped up to the spot himself and saw his effort clip the bar before bouncing in.
The equalizer stunned Algeria and their talisman Riyad Mahrez, who had a curiously quiet game and failed to create chances for his side. Angola defended resolutely after going behind and took full advantage of their lifeline from 12 yards.
The result leaves Group E intriguingly poised. Algeria came into AFCON hoping to atone for their disastrous 2021 campaign but are now under early pressure after dropping points.
Meanwhile, Angola will be delighted with their fightback to earn a share of the spoils against the 2019 winners. Their last nine Cup of Nations matches had ended without victory, but they showed spirit to battle back against one of Africa’s elite sides.
Algeria and Angola now face nervous winner-take-all clashes with Burkina Faso and Mauritania respectively later in the week.
