Algeria defender Aissa Mandi has expressed disappointment over his side’s performance following their 2-0 defeat to Nigeria last Saturday, SportPremi reports.
The Desert Warriors crashed out of the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco, after they were defeated 2-0 by the Super Eagles in the quarterfinals.
Riyad Mahrez had scored a stunning late free kick when both teams last met at the African Cup of Nations in 2019 in a 2-1 win, on their way to winning a second title, but it was a totally different affair this time around.
Nigeria dominated the encounter from start to finish and left the North African side to feed on scraps and half chances.
Algeria, who had been in impressive form for the course of the tournament and were without defeat could not even muster an effort on target in a disappointing performance as they crashed out.
Victor Osimhen opened scoring for Nigeria in the second half, before Akor Adams scored a second goal in the 57th minute in a one-sided encounter.
Mandi rues Algeria’s defeat to Nigeria
Aissa Mandi, who was a key figure in the defence when Algeria defeated Nigeria in 2019 and also played the entire 90 minutes in this clash was left to rue what could have been in the match.
The experienced defender who has won the most caps for the Fennec Foxes in history with 115 appearances, believes his side were totally outplayed in the encounter.
“We’re disappointed, but we came up against a strong Nigerian team, one that’s reaching its peak and is well-rounded. We didn’t play the way we should have, but these things happen in a quarter-final”, the Algeria center-back stated.
“It’s hard to say what went wrong in the heat of the moment,. We have to analyze the game and grow from it. We faced a strong team, and we didn’t manage to put them under pressure. It was a deserved victory for them.”
Algeria would feel hard done by the center referee after they had an early penalty appeals for handball turned down.
Nigeria defender Semi Ajayi appeared to have handled the ball inside his own box, but the VAR agreed with the referee’s initial decision of no penalty, much to the ire of Algerians.
“I think the penalty that wasn’t given could have changed the game. But we had to keep a cool head regarding the refereeing decisions and stay calm about our football. Nigeria didn’t need help from the referee to compete in this match. They have the quality to do so, but it’s a bit of a shame”, he added.
Nigeria advanced from the tie to setup a semifinal clash against host nations Morocco on Wednesday, with the encounter set to take place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
