CHAN: Camara takes full responsibility for Guinea draw against Algeria

Guinea head coach Souleymane Camara has sent an apology to the entire Guinean nation following their early exit from the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) being co-hosted in East Africa.

Ismaël Camara’s fine strike midway through the second half had put Guinea on course for a vital victory in their fight to stay in the tournament, but Algeria struck late courtesy of Soufiane Bayazid to level matters with only two minutes remaining.

“We needed to win to stay in the race and, with eight minutes to go, we conceded the equaliser. We came to win, we gave everything, but we were knocked out in the first round — and that wasn’t the goal. I offer my sincerest apologies to the entire Guinean nation,” said Camara as quoted by CAFOnline.com.

“We played every three days without rest. That took its toll. In football, you also need to take risks, and perhaps we were not bold enough in attack. “When you’re eliminated on the pitch, there’s no room to blame external factors. We need to work in a solid way, like other African teams who are ahead today.”

The result left Guinea on four points from four games, their hopes of progressing hanging by a thread, while Algeria moved to five points and remained firmly in contention for a quarter-final place ahead of their final group match.