SOCCER: Mahrez sends Algeria into Africa Cup of Nations last-16

RABAT – Riyad Mahrez’s first-half penalty secured Algeria’s place in the knockout rounds of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in their Group E clash in Rabat on Sunday.

Algeria now have six points and are confirmed as group winners. They cannot be overtaken by either Burkina Faso (3 points) or Sudan (3 points) following the third round of fixtures, due to the head-to-head rule.

Burkina Faso will face Sudan in their final group match on Wednesday, while Algeria take on bottom side Equatorial Guinea, who have already been eliminated.

The decisive moment came just past the 20-minute mark when Rayan Ait Nouri was fouled in the box by Ismahila Ouedraogo, earning Algeria a penalty. Mahrez calmly converted, sending Burkina Faso goalkeeper Herve Koffi the wrong way.

With this goal, Mahrez extended his record as Algeria’s all-time leading scorer at the Africa Cup of Nations with nine goals. He is also the top scorer of this edition so far, having scored twice in Algeria’s 3-0 opening win over Sudan.

Burkina Faso came close to an equalizer just before halftime, when Pierre Kabore’s close-range header struck the post. Algeria managed to clear the ball to safety.

Koffi remained active in goal, making stops against Mohamed Amoura and Ibrahim Maza, who both threatened to extend Algeria’s lead. Maza later scuffed a shot wide of the target.

Late in the game, Luca Zidane, son of French football legend Zinedine Zidane, showed sharp reactions to deny a header from Lassina Traore, keeping Algeria’s clean sheet intact.

Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne/Reuters