AFCON 2025: Mahrez Strikes Again As Algeria Seal Last-16 Berth

Algeria secured a spot in the 2025 AFCON knockout stages following a 1-0 win against Burkina Faso, extending their unbeaten run to 18 matches.

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After an early penalty appeal was dismissed, the “Greens” took the lead in the 22nd minute when Riyad Mahrez converted a spot-kick earned by Rayan Aït-Nouri.

Despite a late first-half miss by Mohamed Amoura, Mahrez’s strike—his seventh goal involvement in five games—was enough to seal the victory.

Burkina Faso offered little threat for most of the first half until Pierre Kabore nearly equalized right before the interval, hitting the post with a header.

They narrowly avoided falling further behind in stoppage time when Koffi saved a one-on-one attempt from Amoura. After the break, Giorgi Minoungou—the hero of their previous win—went close with a long-range strike.

Algeria’s Ibrahim Maza then missed two clear opportunities to extend the lead, seeing one shot go wide and another blocked by a sharp save from Koffi.

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Despite a strong recent scoring record of two or more goals in five of their last seven matches, Burkina Faso struggled to convert chances in a disappointing performance. Their inefficiency in attack meant they never truly threatened to level the score, resulting in their first loss of this AFCON tournament.

However, the “Stallions” are still well-placed, sitting comfortably in second as they approach their final group fixture. To guarantee a spot in the knockout rounds alongside the Greens—marking their fifth successful group stage exit in six tries—they only need to secure a draw against Sudan.

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