Riyad Mahrez continued his fine form at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday evening, scoring the decisive goal as Algeria edged Burkina Faso 1-0 to secure qualification to the Round of 16.
The victory in Group E extended Algeria’s impressive run, with the Greens now unbeaten inside 90 minutes in their last 18 matches. Mahrez’s strike, his third goal of the tournament, proved enough to separate the two sides and confirm Algeria’s place in the knockout stage.
Algeria started the contest on the front foot and were controversially denied a penalty inside the opening two minutes following an incident involving Bertrand Traoré in the box.
Their persistence eventually paid off in the 22nd minute when Rayan Aït-Nouri was adjudged to have been fouled by Ismahila Ouedraogo. Mahrez stepped up and calmly sent Hervé Koffi the wrong way from the spot, registering his seventh goal contribution in his last five international outings.
Captains lead by example. Mahrez sends Algeria through. 🇩🇿#TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 | #WePlayDifferent pic.twitter.com/1L8wUbFxCg
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) December 28, 2025
Buoyed by the opener, Algeria pushed for a second and came close nine minutes before the break when Mohamed Amoura fired over the crossbar from inside the area despite being unchallenged.
Burkina Faso, meanwhile, struggled to pose an attacking threat for much of the first half but nearly found an equaliser just before the interval, with Pierre Kabore’s close-range header crashing against the right post.
The Stallions were almost punished moments later in stoppage time when Amoura broke through on goal, only for Koffi to make a crucial save and keep the scoreline intact.
Despite Burkina Faso’s late resistance, Algeria held firm to claim all three points and march confidently into the knockout rounds of AFCON 2025.
Mahrez, who has three goals in two matches, now leads the top scorers chart at the AFCON.
