CHAN: Bougherra says Algeria achieved first objective

Algeria coach Madjid Bougherra expressed his delight after they secured their place in the quarterfinals of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) following a 0-0 draw against Niger at Nyayo National Stadium on Monday.

The holders of the 2022 runners-up place came into the final group fixture knowing a single point would be sufficient, and despite struggling to break down an organised Nigerien defence, Madjid Bougherra’s men did just enough to extend their tournament.

“We already achieved our first objective which was to reach the quarterfinal and now our new objective is the next game. In this competition we have to go game by game,” said Bougherra as quoted by CAFOnline.com.

“Now we have three finals coming and we have to win a game at a time. Definitely the quarter-final will be harder but we must maintain our focus.”

On playing Niger in Nairobi, Kenya, he said: “Nothing has changed because of the travel. I’m happy that the competition is being held in three countries – at least players have a chance to travel across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania,” he said after sealing Algeria’s passage.

“It is good to travel because when you stay in one place for a long time then it can be tough for the players and a little bit routine. The conditions were okay for us. The pitch was nice, maybe just a little heavy because of the rain but it was okay. It was a bit colder than Kampala. But in terms of the performance nothing changed.”

The North Africans had enough chances to win the battle, Soufiane Bayazid and Mehdi Merghem both testing Niger’s goalkeeper Mahamadou Tanja.