Algeria 2-2 Burkina Faso: Baghdad Bounedjah an gano gwamnati mai tsawon dakika daban, a cikin cika daidai Algeria ta kawo milgauta a gaban.

Algeria’s forward #9 Baghdad Bounedjah (C) celebrated his team’s second goal in style during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 group D football match against Burkina Faso at Stade de la Paix in Bouake on January 20, 2024.

Baghdad Bounedjah’s late equaliser in injury-time saved the day for Algeria, preventing Burkina Faso from securing a second consecutive victory in the African Cup of Nations. The match seemed to be slipping away from Algeria after Bertrand Traore’s penalty in the second half, putting them at risk of an early exit from the tournament. However, the game took a dramatic turn when Adam Ounas set up Bounedjah to score his second goal of the match.

Algeria entered the match as the favorites and dominated possession, but Burkina Faso posed a constant threat on the counter-attack and would have deserved a win. The opening goal came just before half-time, with Abdoul Fessal Tapsoba delivering a perfect diagonal ball behind the Algerian defense. Mohamed Konate met the ball with a powerful header that crashed into the net. Initially ruled offside, VAR confirmed that the striker was just onside.

Algeria came out with renewed determination in the second half and equalized after six minutes. Half-time substitute Youcef Belaili’s free kick was partially blocked, but eventually found its way to Baghdad Bounedjah, who calmly finished from close range. Once again, VAR intervened in favor of the underdogs as Issa Kabore was brought down in the box by Rayan Ait-Nouri. After reviewing the video footage, the referee awarded a penalty.

Substitute Traore, who came on for Konate, confidently converted the penalty, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. It seemed likely that Burkina Faso would add another goal as Algeria substituted off key players Youcef Belaili and Riyad Mahrez, the latter of whom had a quiet game. However, Bounedjah, the tournament’s leading scorer with three goals, ensured that Algeria remains in a strong position to progress to the knockout stages with a victory over Mauritania in their final group match.

Algeria currently has one point from two games, having drawn their first match against Angola.