Algeria head coach Madjid Bougherra has expressed disappointment over his side’s loss to Senegal in the final of the 2022 African Nations Championship.
The North and West African giants were gunning for their first-ever CHAN titles with the Desert Foxes tipped as favourites due to home advantage as hosts which aided their progress.
It was however not to be in Saturday’s final as penalty misses by Aymen Mahious and Ahmed Kendouci during the shootout condemned them to a 5-4 defeat after the game ended goalless in extra time.
Regardless of the setback, Bougherra – who led the Algerians to FIFA Arab Cup success in 2021, is positive and hopeful towards the future.
“Our players and fans are disappointed. We did not concede any goal in the tournament, and we have the best attack with nine goals. This really hurts especially since we missed the last penalty kick, this is it,” the 41-year-old said on the CAF website.
“We knew that the match would be difficult. The two teams deserved to reach the final and win. I raise my hat to the players. I told them to raise their heads and that they should be proud of what they have done in the tournament.
“We will remain positive in all cases and thank the players and the Algerian people. Personally, I will be positive, and in future competitions I hope things will be different, and that the players will gain confidence.”
The best of the lot. 👏 🇸🇳🇩🇿🇸🇳🇩🇿 👏 #TotalEnergiesCHAN2022 pic.twitter.com/CSrrH9CTA7
— MARHABA (@CAF_Online) February 5, 2023
Algeria was able to claim some individuals awards with Mahious winning the Golden Boot award as top scorer in the tournament with five goals while Houssem Mrezigue claimed the award for Best Player of the tournament.
Senegal goalkeeper Pape Mamadou Sy won the best goalkeeper award while his team received the Fair Play award.
