While Burkina Faso provided the drama, Algeria provided the clinical class in their opening AFCON group E match, brushing aside a 10-man Sudan 3-0 in Rabat.
However, despite the comfortable scoreline, Algeria’s coach Vladimir Petkovic was quick to keep his players’ feet on the ground.
The Highlights:
It took captain Riyad Mahrez only 82 seconds to open the scoring with a trademark left-footed curler. Sudan’s hopes faded when Salah Adel was sent off for a second yellow card before the break. Mahrez added his second in the 61st minute, becoming Algeria’s all-time leading AFCON scorer.
The match also saw a historic debut for Luca Zidane (son of legend Zinedine Zidane), who kept a clean sheet and drew massive cheers from the crowd.
Teenager Ibrahim Maza rounded off the night with Algeria’s 100th-ever AFCON goal.
The Reaction:
Despite the 3-0 win, coach Vladimir Petkovic issued a stern warning to his squad: “The first match is always hard, but we made things complicated for ourselves by giving Sudan chances. We won 3-0, yes, but we must improve. The next match against Burkina Faso will be a different beast entirely.” He said.
