Yacine Brahimi Reflects on Algeria’s Hard-Fought Victory Over South Africa
Algeria, building on its strong showing at the 2014 World Cup, lived up to expectations in their AFCON 2015 opener, defeating South Africa 3-1 in a dramatic and intense match.
Although the Fennecs secured a convincing result, their key playmaker Yacine Brahimi had a relatively quiet game, closely marked by South African defenders throughout.
Speaking to Le Buteur, the FC Porto midfielder admitted:
“I admit that I suffered physically because it wasn’t easy for us. But I think that the missed penalty got us back into the game before we went for this victory. I think that everyone worked well and that the players fought until the end. Now, we have to stay focused on the next match.”
Indeed, a missed penalty by South Africa — when they were leading — marked a turning point in the game. Algeria capitalized on the momentum shift to come from behind and secure the win.
Looking ahead, Brahimi remains cautious but optimistic as Algeria prepares to face Ghana and Senegal in the next group matches:
“All the AFCON matches promise to be difficult. It’s true that our mission against Ghana looks complicated, but we already have a three-point lead over our next opponent. We’ll try to manage this advantage while playing for the win.”
With their first three points secured, Algeria now sits atop Group C, but the road to the quarter-finals remains challenging — and Brahimi knows it will take continued focus and determination.
