Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez has confirmed that this will be his final Africa Cup of Nations appearance, but insists his full focus is on guiding his country past Nigeria in their upcoming clash, SportPremi reports.
The former Manchester City attacker made his debut for the Desert Warriors in 2014, but his most memorable moment remains in 2019 when he guided them to the African Cup of Nations title.
The 34-year-old scored three times in the tournament, most notably his stunning free-kick in stoppage time to seal a 2-1 win over Nigeria in the semifinal, as Algeria won their second continental title.
Both nations face off again this time around, but at the quarterfinal stage, with a potential semifinal tie against the host nations at stake.
Mahrez has already scored three times in Morocco and will be one of the players that could hurt the Super Eagles in their last eight encounter.
The clash will take place at the Stade de Marrakesh on Saturday, with the kickoff time slated for 5 PM.
Mahrez speaks ahead of Nigeria clash
Speaking ahead of Algeria’s clash against Nigeria on Saturday, Riyad Mahrez who is firmly in the race for the Golden boot award in Morocco, believes his side can tame their opponent’s attack.
The Super Eagles have scored 12 times so far at the tournament, but will find it difficult against Algeria first-choice goalkeeper Luca Zidane, who is yet to concede a goal at the tournament in three matches.
“Every big tournament is a huge motivation for players. I want to do well. I think it will be my last Africa Cup of Nations. I don’t want to look too far ahead. Right now, I just want to focus on the next game and give everything, because it is very important for our country, our supporters and our families”, Mahrez stated in his interview.
On the clash against Nigeria
“I think obviously there is a pressure to win the game, so the pressure to win the tournament is still a long way, long way to think about, a long way to go.
“Obviously we both teams want to go through. We are both great teams, and it will be the best at the game that will go through. And I hope it will be us. I hope it will be us, and we have to make everything to perform in our best way”, the former Manchester City star added.
“They’ve scored a lot of goals in this competition, they have a very attack we can’t deny that. But tomorrow will be tomorrow, I’m not scared at all, it’s a football game we have our quality and our strength so it will be a good game.”
