Algeria – Fortunebets

Algeria began their defence of the Africa Cup of Nations title with an underwhelming 0-0 draw against Sierra Leone in Douala on Tuesday, as Riyad Mahrez’s side struggled to break down one of the tournament’s rank outsiders.

Qatar-based winger Yacine Brahimi missed the holders’ best chance early in the second half, when he found himself with just the goalkeeper to beat, only for Mohamed Kamara to hold his shot at the second attempt.

The draw allows Algeria to extend their remarkable unbeaten run in competitive action to 35 games, but it also means their chief Group E rivals Ivory Coast can seize the initiative by beating Equatorial Guinea at the same venue on Wednesday.

The heat and humidity of a mid-afternoon kick-off at the Japoma Stadium in Cameroon’s economic capital undoubtedly didn’t help, but Sierra Leone deserve enormous credit for their display in their first appearance at the Cup of Nations finals in 25 years.

Ranked 108th in the world, they were bolstered by the presence of former England international Steven Caulker in central defence, while China-based Mohamed Buya Turay was lively on the left wing.

They can be hopeful of building on this result to advance to the last 16, with the best third-placed sides progressing from the group stage in what is now a 24-team competition.

John Keister’s team were backed by a vociferous support inside the stadium, although the overall attendance in the 50,000-seat ground may barely have reached four figures.

Alhaji Kamara, who plays for Danish side Randers, came close with an early snapshot for Sierra Leone, while Turay also tested Rais M’Bolhi in the first half.

Kamara then had an effort disallowed for offside after the break before Brahimi’s gilt-edged miss at the other end.

With Mahrez lacking inspiration, it was left to West Ham United’s Said Benrahma to drag a shot wide late on, shortly after coming off the bench, while Ramy Bensebaini was also denied by Kamara at the death.

Algeria, who defeated Senegal in the 2019 final, face Equatorial Guinea in their next game on Sunday.

Riyad Mahrez’s Algeria ended an impressive international break with a 2-2 draw against Mexico in The Hague on Tuesday, despite being a man down for much of the second half.

The contest was a rare meeting between Africa Cup of Nations holders and Concacaf Gold Cup holders, but ultimately neither continental representative was able to clinch bragging rights for their confederation.

Diego Lainez struck in the 86th minute for Mexico as they salvaged a draw, having initially taken the lead late in the first half through Jesus Corona.

Algeria responded to his 43rd-minute effort two minutes later, when Ismael Bennacer finished with a fine effort from the edge of the box.

Despite going a man down 10 minutes in the second half when Adlene Guedioura was shown a second booking for a high challenge on Raul Jimenez, Algeria took the lead in the 67th minute as Mahrez finished calmly after Ramy Bensebaini had reacted quickest to lax possession from Mexico, intercepting the play and feeding the Manchester City forward.

By this point, they could have been further ahead, with Baghdad Bounedjah missing a decent chance before his withdrawal, and Yacine Brahimi striking the woodwork.

After equalising through Lainez, meeting a delightful Jimenez pass in style, Mexico could have even gone on to clinch a winner, as both Hector Herrera and Jorge Sanchez struck the crossbar during a frenetic finale.

The draw, coupled with last week’s 1-0 victory over Nigeria, extends Algeria’s undefeated streak to 20 matches the longest such run of any of Africa’s teams.

“It was similar to how we thought it’d be,” Mexico coach Tata Martinez said after the match, “intense, a lot back and forth at times; in different moments Algeria had [control] of the game, in other moments we had.

“It was a good game to make conclusions,” he added. “I thought off the basis of the game it was a fair result.

“I’m satisfied with this tour to Europe. I’m satisfied with what we’ve shown against the Netherlands and Algeria.”

Next month, Algeria will take on Zimbabwe in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header, as they look to return to the continent’s grandest stage to defend the prize they won in 2019.