Yaounde Jan. 11 (BNA): Mohamed Salah was kept in check as Egypt lost 1-0 to Nigeria with a superb goal by Kelechi Iheanacho in their first match of the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
Riyad Mahrez also had a difficult day as he and his teammates missed several goal-scoring opportunities to open up their title defense with a surprising 0-0 draw with Minnows Sierra Leone, who are playing in their first major tournament in 26 years.
The results have thrown some earlier predictions for the tournament out of the window since day three of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
If there is a team to watch in the tournament, it is Algeria, in 40 matches unbeaten since 2018. And if there is a player to watch, it is Liverpool’s Salah, the Premier League’s top scorer who claims to be the best. in the world now.
It might be time to rethink a little.
However, it is still early in the tournament. The best two teams in each group automatically advance to the knockout stages and there is still the best part of the tournament to play.
With Algeria squandered opportunity after opportunity in their opening Group E match in Douala, coach Djamel Belmadi was increasingly angry on the sidelines.
When Algeria turned down their last chance in the last act in stoppage time, the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations winning coach got to his knees and patted his hands on the ground.
Sierra Leone is playing its first African Cup since 1996. But Algeria found no way in front of Sierra Leone goalkeeper Mohamed Camara, who celebrated the result as a victory in the tournament. The Sierra Leone players sprinted off the bench to the pitch at the end to join in his celebrations.
For just one day, the 22-year-old goalkeeper, who plays for the East End Lions in Freetown, was better than Manchester City’s Mahrez and the rest of Algeria’s powerful attacking line.
Algeria had endless opportunities. Yacine Brahimi fired two straight shots at Camara in quick succession at the start of the second half. Algerian substitute Sofiane Bendibeka was unable to make his effort on goal with Kamara on the ground after he saved again in the 67th minute.
Mahrez was denied when Camara brilliantly fired a low shot that was heading for the bottom corner in the past 10 minutes.
Algeria put Sierra Leone under siege for most of the second half, but when striker Baghdad Bounedjah, the other substitute, headed weak and straight into the arms of Kamara to lose the final, frustration erupted in Belmadi.
Nigeria were supposed to be a team in crisis after coach Gernot Rohr was sacked last month and Augustin Iguafuin was appointed as his replacement on a temporary basis. Nigeria are also missing Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and two other key strikers in the tournament.
Iheanacho, who has been warming up the bench at Leicester in recent months, took his chance in an early meeting of the two heavyweights in the tournament to start Group D. The upper right corner of the winner Nigeria in the 30th minute.
Salah had one real chance for Egypt late in the game, but Nigeria goalkeeper Madoka Okoye went out and blocked Salah’s shot with his left foot.
Iguafuin said the match plan was relatively simple: “Try to get Salah off the ball and play under pressure football at the other end.”
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