January 24, (THEWILL) – Algeria suffered a shock exit from the Africa Cup of Nations group stages after a stunning 1-0 defeat to underdogs Mauritania on Tuesday. A first-half strike from Mauritanian midfielder, Mohamed Dellahi, was enough to secure a historic victory for the Lions of Chinguetti, who progressed to the knockout stages for the first time ever.
Djamel Belmadi’s pre-tournament favourites dominated the early proceedings but failed to capitalise on several decent openings. Youcef Atal and Adam Ounas had shots saved while Houssem Aouar missed the target from close range when he should have scored. Mauritania grew into the game and took a surprise lead just before half-time when Dellahi coolly finished after latching onto Omare Gassama’s blocked effort.
Leading 1-0 at the break, Mauritania knew that a victory would be enough to secure qualification as one of the best third-placed teams. Meanwhile, Algeria faced elimination despite introducing superstar Riyad Mahrez from the bench for the second half. The holders piled on late pressure but a combination of brilliant goalkeeping and poor finishing kept them at bay.
As Algeria committed players forward, Mauritania wasted two glorious chances to extend their lead on the counterattack. However, those missed opportunities did not prove costly as they registered their first-ever victory over Algeria, who crashed out in the groups for the second AFCON in a row.
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.
