Algeria began their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea in a game marked by near misses for the hosts.
Second-half goals from Houssem Aouar and Amine Gouiri eventually secured the win for the Desert Foxes after a frustrating opening period in a game played at the Miloud Hadefi Stadium.
In a match characterised by squandered opportunities, Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez set the tone by missing a penalty in the 23rd minute. The hosts continued to create chances but struggled to find the breakthrough.
Their persistence finally paid off when Aouar broke the deadlock in the 69th minute, bringing relief to the home crowd.
Gouiri sealed the result deep into stoppage time, adding a second goal in the 95th minute to put a gloss on the scoreline that perhaps flattered the hosts given their earlier profligacy.
The victory puts Algeria top of Group E with three points. The group’s other teams, Togo and Liberia, are set to face each other on Friday in Lome.
Algeria manager Vladimir Petković will be pleased with his side’s resilience and ability to overcome their wastefulness in front of goal. However, he will likely want to see more clinical finishing in future matches.
The Desert Foxes, who failed to progress from the group stage in the 2023 tournament, will hope this win sets the tone for a successful qualifying campaign, despite the room for improvement in their attacking play.
