Having impressively secured a place in the Round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2025) on Sunday night with a 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso, the Algerian national football team showcases its growing strength and clearly displays its ambitions.
Algeria hit a milestone in a tournament it began in the most impressive manners. This valuable win against a strong Burkinabe team allowed head coach Vladimir Petkovic’s players to confirm their place in the next stage of the competition, a first since their 2019 historic triumph in Egypt.
Solid and disciplined, the Algerian team confirmed their excellent tournament start, following their resounding 3-0 victory over Sudan on Wednesday.
For the match against Burkina Faso, the national coach made three changes to his starting lineup, with Samir Chergui, Jaouen Hadjam, and Ibrahim Maza starting, while also making a tactical adjustment based on the opponent. Positioned higher than usual on the left wing, Aït-Nouri proved decisive by winning the penalty that secured the victory.
Once again, captain Riyad Mahrez stepped up when it mattered. In the 23rd minute, he converted the penalty, marking his 37th goal for the national team and his 9th in the AFCON final stages.
This victory carries symbolic significance. The national team broke the mental barrier against Burkina Faso by marking their first win over the Stallions in the Africa Cup of Nations since 1996 (2-1). Since then, Algeria had suffered a defeat in 1998 (1-2) and two draws in 2000 (1-1) and 2024 (2-2).
Under pressure in the second half, the Algerian defense showed great character. Led by an imperious Ramy Bensebaïni, they managed to withstand the opponents’ attacks, proving that this team can also endure and defend under pressure, a promising sign for the rest of the tournament.
Petkovic left his mark with a true masterclass in tactics, switching to a 5-3-2 formation after bringing on central defender Zinedine Belaïd, in order to better resist the Burkinabe dominance.
With two wins from two matches, four goals scored, and none conceded, the national team is clearly on the right track. The objective now is to secure a third consecutive win on Wednesday (5:00 PM) against Equatorial Guinea, already eliminated following their 1-0 loss against Sudan, in order to wrap up the first round on a high note.
Having won both their first two matches in this 35th edition, Algeria has made a perfect start. A rare achievement in its history, as the Greens had only achieved such a start twice, in 1990 at home and in 2019 in Egypt.
