Algeria and Senegal will play, Saturday, February 4, the final of the 7th African Nations Championship (CHAN). In the semi-finals, Les Fennecs struggled against the Nigeriens (5-0) while the Lions were able to master the happy team from Madagascar (1-0).
The Confederation of African Football has reason to rub its hands with this Algeria-Senegal final which will conclude the three weeks of a competition which will have kept its promises. Despite the absence of Morocco, despite the skepticism that accompanied the tournament before kick-off, CAF will be able to affix the label “Success” to this Algerian cuvée.
Algeria-Senegal, February 4 at 7:30 p.m. UT, will be a first in CHAN and will see a new country register its name on the list. It’s not the CAN, but the final is surely as much envy, in both camps, as the one which opposed the two A selections in 2019 (1-0 for the Fennecs).
Perfect match for Algeria
Algerian fans want to break the curse of the year 2022 which saw them lose their title of African champions, and stay at home, deprived of the first World Cup organized in an Arab country. Lions fans are hoping for a new star to shine for them, three days before the first anniversary of the AFCON won in Cameroon.
To win their ticket to the final, the two contenders suffered less than expected. Especially Algeria. In Oran, where it played for the first time since the start of CHAN, after four games in Baraki, Algeria has indeed delivered its best score since the start of the tournament. Algiers fans did not have to recognize their team, as the first four matches, despite the victory (1-0), were very unexciting.
We must believe that the air of Oran had euphoric effects on the Fennecs, because the monotonous formation gave way to a team of merry men, a band with a fantastic symphony which stunned Niger and offered a beautiful show. to the 40,000 spectators at the Miloud Hadefi stadium. It is especially in the first period that the Fennecs have crunched the Menascoring four goals in 45 minutes and playing at a level never shown in this tournament.
Senegal dominating, but not realistic
The Madjid Bougherra men, who were content with only minimum service (1-0), thus scored more goals in their semi-final than in their first four matches. And the team still remains solid, with no goals conceded in the tournament, and finds inspiration in attack with an essential Aimen Mahious, current top scorer in CHAN with 5 goals.
For Senegal, the score (1-0) does not reflect all the domination of the Lions in front of the Barea. If they scored very early thanks to a goal from Pape Amadou Diallo (5th), Pape Thiaw’s men never knew how to (could) kill the match and bury the hopes of the Malagasy. The missed opportunities of Diallo, Ndiaye, Diouf or Camara have long allowed the suspense to hang over this meeting against a team from Madagascar which seemed to have reached its limits. The euphoric Rakotondrabe team, which has scored in all its matches since the start of the competition, failed to hit a single shot against the Lions.
It stops in the semi-finals for its first participation and will be able to try to win the “bronze medal” against Niger during the match for third place on Friday February 3 at 7 p.m. UT.