Aïssa Mandi: “A Moment of Very Intense Happiness”
Aïssa Mandi and Algeria were under real pressure heading into their first match of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, but in the end, the Fennecs lived up to expectations with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over a surprisingly strong South African side.
Reflecting on the tense encounter, the defender spoke candidly about the emotions before, during, and after the match:
“I must admit that we were under pressure before kick-off, even though we had prepared for it. There is quality in this South African team and that can only add to this success.”
South Africa caused significant problems, especially in the first half, forcing Algeria to dig deep. The Fennecs even trailed 1-0 and narrowly escaped falling further behind when Tokelo Rantie missed a penalty, hitting the bar.
Mandi acknowledged the moments of fragility:
“We did not manage some of our weak moments well and our opponents took full advantage of this to carry out some quite dangerous actions.”
But once the final whistle blew, the relief and pride were overwhelming:
“After the final whistle, there are a lot of things that go through your head at a time like this. My first thoughts were with the Algerian people. It was a moment of very intense happiness.”
With the win, Algeria sits atop Group C, but Mandi knows the job is far from done:
“We are keeping our feet on the ground and it will be up to us to negotiate the two big matches we have left to play in this group stage.”
Algeria will now face Ghana and Senegal, both of whom also have high ambitions for the title, in what promises to be a fiercely contested “group of death.”
