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The draw ensured that the Desert Warriors remain winless in AFCON since the 2019 final as they emerged champions.
Former Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) champions Algeria were left frustrated in their first outing of this year's edition, as they were held by Angola to a 1-1 stalemate at the Stade de la Paix, Bouake on Monday.
The draw ensured that the Desert Warriors remain winless in AFCON since the 2019 final as they emerged champions.
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After 18 minutes, Baghdad Bounedjah superbly volleyed Youcef Belaïli’s over-the-top ball past Neblú with the outside of his boot to open the account in Group D.
Scorer of both of Algeria’s first and final goals in their victorious 2019 AFCON campaign, Bounedjah could have doubled his tally with a sensational overhead kick, but the offside flag came to the immediate rescue of Pedro Gonçalves’ side.
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07:23 - 16.01.2024
AFCON 2023: Dull and blunt, Onana-less Cameroon held by ten-man Guinea
Cameroon were without Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, who was left out of the day's squad, despite taking a private jet to Ivory Coast just in time for the match.
The restart saw Angola adopt a change in style, which left them more exposed in defence, but also began to tip the balance in their favour.
Some silky forward play wasn’t taken full advantage of by Zito Luvumbo, but the Sable Antelopes were finally rewarded with a penalty kick when Mabululu was felled in the area by Nabil Bentaleb.
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Mabululu stepped up himself, smashing in off the underside of the crossbar and allowing his fans to dream of a possible first AFCON win since 2012.
Algeria will want to turn around their AFCON misfortunes when they play Burkina Faso in their next match on Friday.
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17:42 - 15.01.2024
AFCON 2023: Dominant Senegal cruise to resounding victory over Gambia
Gambia's task against the reigning champions was made even harder at the stroke of half-time, when Ebou Adams was dismissed for a nasty challenge on Camara.
On the other hand, Angola, who were buoyed by a point against a giant, will take on Mauritania on Saturday.
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