Zineddine Belaid of Algeria celebrates goal with teammates during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON match between Equatorial Guinea and Algeria at Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco on 31 December 2025 © Nabil Ramdani/BackpagePix
Tuesday Dec 30, 2025. 23:26
Algeria ended its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations group stage with an emphatic 3-1 win over Equatorial Guinea at the Stade Moulay Hassan in Rabat on Wednesday.
With the loss to Algeria, Equatorial Guinea has lost all three of its group games at AFCON, recording successive defeats for the first time at the tournament and extending its losing streak to four AFCON games.
The National Thunder failed to reach the knockout stage for the first time in the team’s five appearances at the continental showpiece.
Algeria, who had already punched its ticket, is headed to the round of 16 for the 12th time in 21 appearances and for the first time since winning the tournament in 2019.
The Fennecs join Nigeria as the only two teams to keep a perfect record through the group stage.
The first chance of the game fell to Algeria in the 11th minute. Anis Hadj-Moussa delivered a dangerous cross from a free kick, targeting the back post,t but no Algerian players were able to get on the end of it.
Farès Chaïbi cut onto his right foot on the left side of the box in the 13th minute, but his attempt to curl the ball into the goal went wildly off target.
Algeria opened the scoring in the 19th minute through Zinéddine Belaïd, who headed home Hadj-Moussa’s corner, rising above the defence of Equatorial Guinea to put the Fennecs ahead.
The north African side missed an opportunity to bag another goal just two minutes later. Hadj-Moussa picked out the well timed run of Chaïbi in the box, who could not poke the ball past Jesus Owono, putting his effort over the bar.
The Fennecs found a second goal in the 25th minute. Chaïbi doubled Algeria’s lead, capitalising on a beautiful through-ball from Ibrahim Maza and cutting onto his right foot to find the top left corner from inside the area.
Equatorial Guinea generated a chance of their own in the 29th minute. Pablo Ganet overhit his cross, forcing goalkeeper Anthony Mandrea to acrobatically tip the ball over the bar as it headed for the top corner.
In the 32nd minute, the National Thunder suffered another blow as 20-year-old Ibrahim Maza added his name to the scoresheet. Bayer Leverkusen midfielder bagged his second goal contribution of the game, heading the ball past Owono from close range with help from a deflection and a pin-point cross from Hadj-Moussa for his second assist of the evening.
Ganet had another chance for Equatorial Guinea before half time, breaking into the opposition box with a pass from Emilio Nsue. However, his end product hit the side netting in the 43rd minute.
Owono denied Algeria a fourth goal before the end of the first period, stopping Mounsef Bakrar’s effort from the edge of the six-yard box with a super-save in stoppage time.
Equatorial Guinea started the second half in style, pulling one goal back in the 50th minute. Emilio Nsue was unleashed by a pass from Álex Balboa, stopping at the edge of the area and hitting a superb strike, burying the ball into the top-left corner.
Chaïbi missed an opportunity to bag a second goal for himself in the 63rd minute, striking the crossbar from close range after a through-ball from Mehdi Dorval.
Saúl Coco had an opportunity from a long-range free kick in the 78th minute, but sent his effort high and wide of the goal.
In the 84th minute, Esteban Obiang intervened to deny Algeria another chance, squeezing in between two attackers to make sure the incoming cross did not reach either of its targets in the box.
Despite their efforts, the National Thunder are headed home with no points taken from their group stage campaign.
The Fennecs will return to the Stade Moulay Hassan on 6 January to face the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the round of 16.
Equatorial Guinea (0) 1 (Nsue 50’)
Algeria (3) (Belaïd 19’, Chaïbi 25’, Maza 32’)
Equatorial Guinea: J. Owono, M. Anieboh, E. Orozco Fernandez. S. Coco (N. Senra 84’), C. Ondo (P. Ngaah 71’), P. Ganet, O. Mascarell (J. Machín 46’), Á. Balboa, J. Nabil (I. Salvador 46’), E. Nsue, J. Buyla (G. Akogo 71’)
Algeria: A, Mandrea, R. Aït-Nouri (M. Dorval 46’), M. A. Tougai (A. Mandi 60’), Z. Belaïd, R. Belghali (Y. Atal 46’), F. Chaïbi (I. Kebbal 79’), H. Abdelli, R. Zerrouki, A. Hadj-Moussa, I. Maza (A. Zorgane 61’), M. Bakrar