Afcon 2025: Riyad Mahrez penalty sees off Burkina Faso to send Algeria through to knockout stages

Algeria became the third nation to secure their place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday as a first-half penalty from Riyad Mahrez earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in Rabat, while defending champions Ivory Coast were forced to settle for a draw against Cameroon.

Mahrez’s cool finish from the spot midway through the opening period proved decisive in a bruising Group E contest that underlined Algeria’s credentials as one of the favourites for the title. The result moved the Desert Foxes on to six points from two matches, joining Egypt and Nigeria in the last 16 with a game to spare.

The decisive moment came in the 23rd minute when Rayan Ait-Nouri, the Manchester City defender, was bundled over in the penalty area as he surged forward from left-back. Mahrez, who had scored twice in Algeria’s 3-0 opening win over Sudan, stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.

It was Mahrez’s third goal of the tournament and the ninth of his Africa Cup of Nations career, an Algerian record that reflects his enduring influence at the continental showpiece. African champions in 1990 and 2019, Algeria have yet to concede a goal in Morocco and have lived up to pre-tournament expectations under coach Vladimir Petkovic.

France great Zinedine Zidane was again among the spectators, watching his son Luca start in goal for Algeria in front of a crowd of 18,522 at the Moulay Hassan Stadium.

“We were expecting a very tough match,” said forward Ibrahim Maza, who was named man of the match. “We fought very hard and the most important thing is that we won. Now we are qualified and that was the main goal. We knew we had to battle and be aggressive, and we did that.”