Khezami says Algeria mission is to play WAFCON semis after Nigeria draw

After a historic 0-0 draw against nine-time African champions Nigeria, Tunisia defender Roselene Khezami has now set her sight on playing in the semifinals of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

With Botswana beating Tunisia 2-1 in the group’s other match, Algeria’s hard-earned point was enough to see them finish second in Group B with five points, behind Nigeria, who topped the group with seven.

Speaking after the game, the 23-year-old centre-back, who anchored the defence with zeal, said their focus now is to look beyond the quarterfinals and focus on reaching the last four of the competition.

“It was a great match and a collective effort from all of us. The result was the outcome of the teamwork,” said Khezami as quoted by CAFOnline. “This is important for Algeria, and we will keep working and take things seriously because we want to play in the semi-final, which is our objective.

“Yes, we have lost before, but we have to work harder. Next time, we will try to score against Nigeria.”

Algeria coach Farid Benstiti praised Khezami by saying: “She grew a lot in just two years with us. She played as a left back with different qualities, and I decided to play her as a central defender,” said Benstiti.

“It’s not easy to change a player’s position, but she works very hard and is clever. I want to congratulate her not because we changed her position, but because she is talented. Her motivation is very important. She is a brilliant player. I am very happy for her.”

Algeria finished with five points amassed from one win, two draws and zero defeats.