2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Veteran striker Baghdad Bounedjah shows class with brace in Algeria’s latest win

Experienced Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah showed his class on Thursday night, scoring twice to deliver a delightful victory for his country in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Botswana.

Algeria hosted the Round 7 opponent of Group G today at Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium.

After dominating the opening minutes of the proceedings, Algeria scored the first goal of the match in the 33^rd minute when Mohamed Amoura equalised.

Ten minutes later, Botswana struck back through Tebogo Kopelang to force the first half to end in a 1-1 stalemate.

The second half was tough, with Botswana playing with a lot of confidence and matching the efforts of the Algerians.

When things got tough for the hosts, they found a hero in Baghdad Bounedjah, who climbed off the bench to score a brace.

The veteran striker scored his first in the 71^st minute when he was set up by Mohamed Amoura.

Late in injury time, Baghdad Bounedjah netted his second, completing a superb brace and wrapping up a 3-1 win for Algeria against Botswana.

The result keeps Algeria at the top of the Group G standings and on the verge of securing qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.