Algeria left furious as Belkhiter dismissal turns Malawi semi-final

Algeria have criticised Morgane Belkhiter’s red card as “un desastre” after their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 semi-final defeat by Malawi.

The Vertes were beaten 3-1 by Malawi at the Stade Olympique de Rabat in Morocco on Wednesday, ending their hopes of reaching the final. Their task became significantly harder when Belkhiter was sent off in the 23rd minute following a VAR review.

Belkhiter, 30, had been selected at right-back in place of Lana Smits. She was dismissed after committing a foul on Tabitha Chawinga, with the Saint-Etienne player punished because she was judged to be the last defender.

Belkhiter left the pitch in tears, while the decision provoked an angry reaction from Algerian observers on social media. The dismissal was widely viewed in Algeria as excessively harsh, with criticism aimed at the African officiating.

Algerian media outlet ShootAfrica described the decision as “un desastre”, while JDZ Football called it “un carton rouge imaginaire” and argued that the sending-off directly influenced the outcome of the match.

Malawi took advantage of their numerical advantage 11 minutes after Belkhiter’s dismissal, with Chawinga scoring the opening goal in the 34th minute. The Malawians then doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time, in the 45th minute plus one.

Algeria were unable to recover, although Malawi were also reduced to 10 players when one of their players was sent off in the eighth minute of added time at the end of the first half.

Ikram Adjabi gave Algeria renewed hope by reducing the deficit in the 61st minute, around the hour mark. However, Chawinga struck again in the 77th minute to complete her double and put the result beyond doubt.

The victory sends Malawi into the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final for the first time in their history, having reached that stage at their first appearance in the competition.

Algeria, managed by Farid Benstiti, will instead play for third place next Saturday. Marine Dafeur and her team-mates will face the losing side from the other semi-final between Morocco and Cameroon.

The defeat leaves Algeria to reflect on a match in which the early dismissal of Belkhiter proved decisive. Their players had to compete with 10 women for most of the contest, and although Adjabi’s goal briefly brought them back into contention, Chawinga’s second goal confirmed Malawi’s historic progress to the final.