CHAN 2022: Quarter-finals up next!
CHAN 2022: Winners of all their group games, Algeria host Ivory Coast on Friday night with a place in the semi-finals at stake
Sport News Africa · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Audio version in preparation · read aloud by your browser meanwhile
The Nelson Mandela stadium in Baraki will surely be full again tonight. Since the start of the CHAN, the Algerian 12th "man" has played his part in the stands. The home-based Fennecs have played their part on the pitch too. Even though Ali Fergani is rightly concerned about the lack of attacking efficiency, Magid Bougherra's men have done the job so far. They won all three of their group games 1-0, against Libya, Ethiopia and Mozambique.
The Elephants' appetite grows
Algeria will need to win three more games to succeed their great rivals Morocco, the two-time defending champions, who did not travel to Algeria to defend their title. The first comes this Friday night against Ivory Coast. The Ivorians are building momentum. They had shown worrying signs in their opening game of the competition, a 1-0 defeat to Senegal. But since then they have held DR Congo to a draw (0-0) and broken down the Ugandan defence (3-1). With their appetite growing as the tournament goes on, the Elephants hope to devour the Fennecs and keep their run going until 4 February. "We used the games against Senegal and DR Congo to get it right against Uganda. We will do everything we can to score first and see how the Algerian team reacts in that situation. They have never been behind, so it could unsettle them," says Souhalio Haidara, the Ivory Coast coach.
Lions and Mourabitounes meet again
Straight after this Algeria-Ivory Coast showdown, the CHAN quarter-finals continue with a derby between Senegal and their neighbours Mauritania. Both nations finished top of their respective groups. The Lions have shown some good football. However, even though they beat Ivory Coast (1-0) and DR Congo (3-0), they tend to squander a lot of chances. That cost them a defeat to Uganda (0-1) on matchday 2. The Mourabitounes, meanwhile, have yet to concede a goal. After a 0-0 draw with Angola, they beat Mali 1-0. It was their first win at a CHAN. In their previous appearances, they had gone out every time with three defeats. But they have come a long way. Their rise actually began against Senegal in 2013. On the road to CHAN 2014 in South Africa, the Mauritanians knocked out the Senegalese thanks to a 2-0 home win after a 1-0 loss in Dakar.
https://twitter.com/CAF_Online/status/1618881496198045697?s=20&t=4jGTDv6kuAPGT5qmpMFHog