Equatorial Guinea shocked the world by registering a memorable 1-0 victory over Algeria in a Group E clash of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Douala, Cameroon, on Sunday.
A dejected Djamel Belmadi has explained how his troops lost against the Nzalang Nacional, thanks to a strike by Esteban Fernandez.
The Algeria coach, Belmadi, said Guinea defended extremely well with a “lot of desire and determination” to end the Desert Foxes’ impressive 35-match unbeaten run.
“Regarding the opponent, Equatorial Guinea, they defended with a lot of desire, determination and we couldn’t find the fault. It’s a situation of failure,” explained Belmadi.
“It’s not the expected result, and yet we did everything. We got several chances, but the ball did not go in.
“We are in a situation of failure; it is a lean moment. Football is not always about rational reasons but let’s be sure; we will fight to stay in this competition. It will be against a great team from Côte d’Ivoire, which is made up of players playing in the biggest leagues,” concluded the Algeria coach.
Algeria are at the bottom of their group with one point from two matches. They will tackle Ivory Coast in their last Group encounter on Thursday.
Afcon Results, Sunday, January 16
Gambia 1-1 Mali
Tunisia 4-0 Mauritania
Ivory Coast 2-2 Sierra Leone
Algeria 0-1 Equatorial Guinea
Fixtures, Monday, 17 January
Burkina Faso v Ethiopia (18:00)
Cape Verde v Cameroon (18:00)
