Algeria fight back from two-goal deficit but held to draw by Burundi

Algeria were forced to recover from a disastrous opening 12 minutes as they drew 2-2 with Burundi in the second round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Fennecs had begun the campaign with a victory over Zambia in Brahim Hemdani’s first match on the bench, but they were punished for a poor start in Burundi and had to settle for a point after conceding twice inside the opening quarter of an hour.

Burundi took the lead in the fifth minute when a poorly controlled back-pass from Fares Chaibi ended up in Algeria’s goal. Their problems deepened seven minutes later, when Jean Claude Girumugisha doubled the hosts’ advantage.

Girumugisha took advantage of a weak challenge from Ramy Bensebaini to make it 2-0 in the 12th minute, leaving Algeria facing a difficult task against a Burundi side making the most of its intensity and aggression in the early exchanges.

The Fennecs struggled to establish their passing game as Burundi disrupted their rhythm, with the hosts willing to commit fouls to maintain the pressure. Algeria’s clearest source of attacking purpose was Bachir Belloumi, who worked to lift his team after the poor opening.

The Hull City player eventually gave Algeria a route back into the contest after 30 minutes. A scramble inside the Burundi penalty area fell to Belloumi, who reacted quickest to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

That goal restored some confidence to Hemdani’s side, although it did not immediately transform the balance of the match. Algeria went into the interval still behind and needing to find a way to overcome Burundi’s determined resistance.

The visitors continued to press after the restart and were rewarded in the 63rd minute. Adil Boulbina produced a perfectly struck direct free-kick, sending the ball into the top corner to bring the scores level at 2-2.

Boulbina was replaced a few moments after completing the comeback, but Algeria could not build on the equaliser. The visitors lacked the ideas and creativity required to turn their pressure into a winning goal, while their collective momentum faded during the closing stages.

Although Algeria created a number of opportunities, they were unable to take sustained control against the Hirondelles. Having recovered from two goals down, they avoided defeat, but the result will still feel like a missed opportunity.

The draw leaves Algeria with some reward after their early collapse, yet they were made to chase the game for much of the contest and could not secure the victory their second-half fightback had made possible.