Algeria continued their strong start in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Mali in Group B. After a commanding but largely fruitless spell playing with a numerical advantage following Mali’s early sending-off, the Fennecs finally broke the deadlock late in the game thanks to Medjani’s decisive strike in the 83rd minute.
This win sees Algeria maintain a perfect record with six points from two matches, firmly placing them at the top of their group ahead of Mali and Malawi. With just four games remaining in the qualification campaign, the pressure is on to sustain this momentum.
Midfielder Sofiane Feghouli acknowledged the challenge posed by Mali, describing the encounter as “a really tough match against a very solid team.” He stressed the importance of securing three points despite the difficulty in breaking down the opposition’s defence.
“After the two wins against Ethiopia and Mali, we can now approach the other matches with ease,” Feghouli said. “However, we must be enterprising because we will need more wins to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.”
Algeria’s disciplined and determined performance underlines their ambitions to qualify for the tournament in Morocco next year, keeping hopes high among supporters and players alike.
