SAN FRANCISCO, October 10, (THEWILL) – The national coach of the Algerian side that beat the Super Eagles of Nigeria by a lone goal in yesterday’s friendly match in Austria has praised his team’s performance in that victory.
Djamel Belmadi believes his side was tactically better than their Nigerian counterparts on Friday.
The goal that was the difference between both sides came when Borussia Monchengladbach’s Ramy Bensebaini left-footed shot from the centre of the box found its way to the high centre of the goal and ensured that the Algerian’s side continued their domination over the Super Eagles.
Belmadi, who guided his side to clinch the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, said of the match, “We had spotted two or three weaknesses that they could tactically have with certain players. Today, they actually played others so it disturbed some of the information I was able to give to the players a bit, but they adapted to this situation.
“We responded well against a team which is tactically in good shape. We gave a physical response with a lot of intensity in the midfield and in the pressing.
“These are things that we were able to work on. I think our players have been almost perfect against a strong team.
“We came to find difficulty. We were tactically better. We did everything we had prepared this week. Great credit to the players.
“The new players played as I wanted. They have fully shown their qualities. I really appreciated the fact that I gave them the opportunity to play, I am satisfied with that.
“I think of Mehdi Abeid and Haris Belkebla who did a job at the heart of the huge game of pressing and harassment. They responded to the physical challenge.
“Then, Said Benrahma, he missed the goal today. He was very visible, especially in his second half. He doesn’t miss much.
“Andy Delort, he has already played away a lot in games that are not easy. He had a very big game, he harassed the defenders, he was only missing the goal, that’s what I told him. Farid Boulaya was very interesting to me today.”
Delort, striker of the Ligue 1 side Montpellier HSC, provided Bensebaini with the assist for his goal.
Algeria will face Mexico in their next friendly while Nigeria will square off against Tunisia on Tuesday, October 13.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
