In a gripping Group C opener at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023, Angola held former champions Algeria to a 1-1 draw at Bouake’s Stade De La Paix. The Monday evening match was a display of resilience from Angola, who were up against a team largely considered favorites.
Algeria, the 2019 champions, started the match assertively, dominating possession and quickly establishing their attacking intent. Fares Chaibi and Youcef Belaili posed early threats for the Desert Foxes, with Belaili coming close to scoring in the eighth minute, only for his effort to be parried by Angolan goalkeeper Adilson Cipriano.
The breakthrough for Algeria came in the 18th minute. Baghdad Bounedjah, mirroring his goal-scoring feat from the 2019 edition’s opener, found the back of the net after latching onto a lobbed ball, comfortably placing it into the bottom left corner.
Angola, undeterred by the goal, adopted a strategy in the second half focusing on penetrating the Algerian defense. This approach bore fruit in the 68th minute when Cristovao Paciencia, after being fouled in the box by Nabil Bentaleb, stepped up to convert the resulting penalty, drawing Angola level.
The match concluded with the teams sharing points in an evenly contested affair. Post-match facts highlight Algeria’s struggle in recent Africa Cup of Nations matches, with no wins in their last four games. Conversely, Angola continues a streak without a victory in their last nine matches in the tournament.
Looking forward, Algeria faces a clash against Burkina Faso, while Angola will compete against Mauritania in their upcoming fixtures.
