Champions! As Algeria claim 2nd African title

The final moments were nervous for Algeria, but that all turned into overwhelming celebrations for both the team and their teeming fans in the stands as the Desert Foxes ended their 29-year wait for their second Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as they defeated Senegal 1-0 in the final at the Cairo International Stadium yesterday.

A second minute effort from Baghad Bounedjah, aided by a deflection, was all that was needed to win the final game as the Desert Foxes claimed their second continental title, crowning their impressive performance with the $4.5million prize money.

It was a befitting reward for their consistent performance exhibited from the start of the competition and while the final match did not see a vintage performance as had been seen of them earlier, the North Africans nonetheless did what was needed and ensured that they protected it to the end.

It was a moment of pride as Coach Djamed Belmadi joined the iconic list of former national stars successfully graduating as a coach to lead his side to AFCON glory. And at age 43, he became the youngest coach to achieve that, just 12 months into the job.

For Senegal coach, Aliou Cisse, it was another disappointing end to a beautiful story, again losing out in a final in a painful manner, 17 years after his penalty miss cost the Teranga Lions the chance to lift the trophy.

Right from kickoff, the Algerians launched an attack and almost immediately and Bounedjah after beating his marker about 10 yards from the final third, tried a shot which deflected off a Senegal defender, flew slightly high and then landed inside the right side of the net. Goalkeeper Alfred Gomis saw the ball in flight, but misjudged the height and watched on, too late to intervene when the ball landed behind the line.

The Senegalese tried to recover from that early setback, with Liverpool and their poster boy, Sadio Mane fought hard to get back into the game, but they were let down by their poor finishing as M’Baye Niang could not finish off the chances created.

Once that early goal was scored, the Algerians, who until this game had been very fluid, switched into a defensive mode, absorbing the pressure till the first half ended.

The Senegalese resumed the second half with more urgency in their attack, putting pressure on the Algerian defence, throwing everything at them, with Mane leading the charge. They were just unlucky not to have equalised.

Indeed, in the 61st minute, their hope of equalising ended in disappointment as an initial penalty for a suspected handball was overturned after a VAR review. Four minutes later, there was another chance to score, but Krépin Diatta’s effort narrowly hit the post.

In the 68th minute, Algeria goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi was called to duty to make a brave save from a rocket shot from Youssouf Sabaly.

Reeling under intense pressure, Algeria assumed their dramatic antics in a bid to waste time, two of which saw them attracting yellow cards late into the game.

This final game was the best performance from the Senegalese, who might have saved the best for last, but their poor finishing left them on the losing side, just as they did in their second Group C game against the Desert Foxes when an early strike in the second half, cost them a similar 0-1 loss.

Salif Sane was presented with the last chance to equalise, but his powerful shot was blocked by the goalkeeper to dash any hope of a dramatic comeback, to end the tournament with a perfect record for the north Africans.

As expected, Algerians both on the pitch and in the stands burst into ecstatic jubilations, celebrating their historic feat. Just as they did 29 years ago, they beat the side they had earlier beaten at the group stage to claim the title.

A befitting end to a well-written script for four weeks of drama, suspense, surprises and shocks.