Algeria book Women’s AFCON last-eight place with Kenya win

Algeria secured a second successive Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final appearance by beating Kenya 2-0 in their final Group A match at the Stade Olympique de Rabat on Monday.

Having made history with their first quarter-final qualification last year, the Fennecs repeated the achievement with a composed victory that confirmed their progress under manager Farid Benstiti. They finished second in the group behind Morocco, who drew 0-0 with Senegal in the other match.

Algeria had put themselves in a strong position before kick-off after opening the tournament with a 2-0 victory over Senegal. They then suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat by hosts Morocco, but knew a win against Kenya would be enough to take them into the knockout stages.

They made the breakthrough in the 14th minute when captain Marine Dafeur sent a free-kick over the Kenyan wall and into the top corner. Algeria doubled their advantage nine minutes later as Lynda Bendris dispossessed an opponent before delicately lifting the ball over the advancing Awuor.

Kenya, who finished bottom of Group A without a point, created a handful of opportunities but never looked likely to complete a comeback. Chloe N’Gazi was called upon to make a save before half-time, while Roselene Khezami produced an excellent recovery inside her own penalty area to stop another dangerous Kenyan attack after the interval.

Jereko came close to reducing the deficit late on with a low shot that went narrowly wide of the post. Algeria thought they had added a third when substitute Nihed Naili found the net, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

The result was tempered by two injury concerns. Algeria’s central defender and captain, Sofia Guellati, was forced off after seven minutes after being wrong-footed by a pass from team-mate Morgane Ikene. In the second half, Ines Boutaleb also left the field limping after being caught by a studs-up challenge from Ochaka.

Ochaka was one of four Kenya players booked during a match in which several challenges were described as awkward and overly forceful. Algeria will now have to wait for further assessments to discover whether Guellati and Boutaleb will be fit for the quarter-final.

Algeria will face the winners of Group B on Saturday. Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Tanzania and South Africa remain in contention for top spot in that section.

Despite the fitness worries, the qualification represents another significant step forward for Algeria’s women’s team. Their latest success confirms the upward trajectory established by last year’s historic run and gives them another opportunity to compete for a place in the semi-finals.