Riyad Mahrez continued his fine form at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations by scoring his third goal in two matches as Algeria edged past Burkina Faso 1-0 in Rabat to secure a place in the last 16, Afrosport reports.
The 2019 champions ended a run of two straight group-stage exits thanks to Mahrez’s composed first-half penalty. The former Manchester City winger stepped up after Ismahila Ouedraogo brought him down in the box and calmly sent the ball low into the corner, leaving goalkeeper Herve Koffi with no chance.
Mahrez, who scored twice in Algeria’s opening 3-0 victory over Sudan, was once again central to his side’s attacking threat.
Burkina Faso responded well before the break, with Pierre Kabore going close on two occasions as the Stallions searched for an equaliser.
After half-time, Burkina Faso continued to push forward but struggled to seriously test Algeria’s defence, registering their first shot on target only in the 82nd minute. At the other end, Koffi was kept busy, producing several excellent saves to deny Algeria on the counter-attack.
Round of 16 | Spot 03. 🇩🇿
Algeria qualify for the next round of the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/wSDEIz2kbs
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) December 28, 2025
The win moves Algeria to the top of Group E with six points. Burkina Faso and Sudan are level on three points following Sudan’s 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea earlier on Sunday, a result that confirmed Equatorial Guinea’s elimination.
All four teams will play their final group matches on Wednesday, with Algeria facing Equatorial Guinea in Rabat and Burkina Faso taking on Sudan in Casablanca.
