CHAN 2022 - Bougherra: "The occasion got the better of us"

You played the whole tournament without losing a game, yet it ends with this defeat on penalties...

Madjid Bougherra: There is a lot of disappointment tonight. I feel for these players. We've been working together for a long time... 31 games and only 2 defeats. We went through a competition without conceding a goal and without losing a game on the pitch. Naturally, there is disappointment. We could have won it with that Mahious penalty, but that's football. I told the players they can be proud of themselves.

Read more on the same subject: CHAN 2022: Senegal win it after a nail-biter

What went wrong in this game?

The players were unhappy with their first half. The occasion got the better of us. But afterwards we came back well and created chances. But we didn't manage to take them. That's where the disappointment comes from. But the team can be proud and so can the supporters. And thank you to them for their support.

Does the failure to win say something about the weakness of the local league? You won all your games 1-0, apart from the one against Niger, where the opposition goalkeeper made mistakes.

Madjid Bougherra: So how do you explain that we have the best attack in the tournament? Even if you look at Senegal, they also won plenty of games by a single goal. As for the rest, I don't agree. In that game against Niger, I didn't see any mistakes from their goalkeeper. We played well in good phases and scored from several passages of play. The Algerian league has quality. There are big improvements to be made in certain areas. But the day we start developing players, we will become a real breeding ground for good players.

Is that a real shortcoming?

Madjid Bougherra: To try to sum up: my staff and I are national team coaches, not youth developers. In Algeria, we have lost some of the basics of football. We have only one youth academy, Paradou. Their players move to Europe. Some are at good clubs. Imagine if we had more academies like that. The level of the players and of the league would inevitably rise. If that happens, the level of Algerian football will rise.

We are at the Nelson Mandela Stadium, and he had a famous saying: "I never lose. I either win or learn." What lessons do you take from this CHAN?

Madjid Bougherra: I remain positive. We have the best attack, no goals conceded... Perhaps at the next CHAN the players will have more experience. It was decided on the mental side. Perhaps we needed more experience, especially to start this game better. Personally, I take 90% positives from it. But for the rest, I don't yet have enough perspective.

What about your future?

Honestly, it's not on the agenda and it's not the most important thing. We'll talk to the president when the time comes.