Belmadi : Algeria flopped

Algerian coach Djamel Belmadi

Friday Jan 21, 2022. 10:43

Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi has described the out-going AFCON champions’ stunning exit from the on-going tournament in Cameroon as an absolute flop.

The defending champions on Thursday fell 3-1 to Cote d’Ivoire in their final preliminary stage match to suffer their second straight defeat to end their AFCON 2021 campaign bottom of Group E with just a point.

2021 AFCON GROUP STANDINGS

“We prepared 100 percent for this competition. We wanted to defend our title. We didn’t get what we were looking for. It’s a total failure,” Belmadi said in a post-match interview.

The irony is Algeria’s pre-AFCON 2021 preparations included a promising 3-0 friendly win over fellow continental giants Ghana on January 5 in Qatar who have also made a preliminary round exit after finishing winless, with 1 point and bottom of their group.

Furthermore, Algeria’s two Group E defeats came after a coveted 35-match unbeaten run dating back to October 10, 2018 when they lost 1-0 away to Benin in an AFCON 2019 qualifier.

“Tomorrow, we will analyse it coldly. We will have to focus on the obstacles. To do this, we will analyse what went wrong,” Belmadi said.“It is too early to explain how to use this failure to recover.

“The challenges will come quickly of course but I have an idea what went wrong. Many things but it’s too early to talk about that.”

It is the second time Algeria have made an initial round exit as defending champions since AFCON 1992 in Senegal where they again bowed out winless, with 1 point and bottom of their group.