Algeria settles for a draw against Burundi

The national coach relied on two players lacking rhythm: Chaïbi had just returned from an injury with less than two hours of play this season, while Bensebaïni had only played twenty-one minutes in the Bundesliga. These choices turned out to be advantageous for Burundi which dominated the match.

At the 24th minute, Mohamed Belloumi dribbled past two opponents before curling a shot wide. Six minutes later, he scored his first goal for the national team: "I knew the strengths of the opponent and player number 7 caused us problems," Jaouen Hadjam acknowledged.

At the 63rd minute, Adil Boulbina sent a free kick into the far corner to equalize. Burundi could have taken all three points as they had thirteen shots compared to Algeria's four and controlled 30% of possession.

The absence of key players like Amine Gouiri, who was unavailable, complicates matters. Riyad Mahrez and Aïssa Mandi recently retired. The series of defensive errors continues since Vladimir Petkovic left.