African Football
Sunday November 14, 2021
Algeria extended their remarkable unbeaten run to 32 matches with a 4-0 win over Djibouti in a CAF second round 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier at Cairo International Stadium on Friday.
Victory moved the Fennec Foxes two points clear atop Group A after Burkina Faso could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Niger.
As a result, a draw against the Stallions in Blida next week, in the final round of group stage fixtures, would be enough for the reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions to book their spot in the third round of qualifying at Burkina Faso’s expense.
Youcef Belaïli opened the scoring before the half hour mark, moments after missing a penalty. Sofiane Feghouli and Saïd Benrahma added two more in quick succession to hand the north African nation a comfortable lead at the interval.
This allowed head coach Djamel Belmadi to make a few changes at the break with Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani rising off the bench; showcasing the Algerians strength in attacking depth.
Slimani added a fourth on the day in the 86th minute of the match with his seventh of the campaign to extend his lead atop the scoring charts, and to put the game beyond any reasonable doubt.
Djibouti (0) 0
Algeria (3) 4 (Belaïli 29′ Benrahma 40′ Feghouli 42′ Slimani 86′)
Djibouti: Mbonihankuye; Y.Mohamed, Aden, Dabar (Hamadou 68′), Farada, Siad, W. Hassan, S. Hassan, Mahabeh, Elabeh (Ahmed 89′), Akinibinu (S.Ali 90+2′).
Algeria: Oukidja; Mandi, Abdellaoui, Halaimia (Benayada 46′), Bedrane (Benlamri 62′), Feghouli, Bennacer (Mahrez 46′), Zorgane, Belaïli (Ounas 63′), Bounedjah (Slimani 46′), Benrahma.