By Michael Madyira
A Baghdad Bounedjah strike deep into stoppage time rescued a point for Algeria in a 2-2 Africa Cup of Nations Group D draw at Stade de Bouake de la Paix on Saturday.
It was Bounedjah’s second goal of the match after earlier on restoring parity for the Desert Foxes. It was six minutes into the second half that the goal game after Mohamed Konate had opened the scoring for Burkina Faso on the brink of halftime.
Aston Villa forward Bertrand Traore then gave the Stallions the lead again from the penalty spot on 71 minutes before Bounedjah salvaged a draw for Algeria.
It was the second successive match for the North Africans to concede a penalty as they remain winless in this group with just two points in third on the table.
In another Group D match, Gelson Dala grabbed a brace to help Angola edge Mauritania 3-2 in this five-goal thriller.
Gelson Dala first struck on the half-hour mark before sealing his double five minutes into the second half.
Gilberto grabbed another goal for the Palancas Negras while Sidi Amar’s goal two minutes before halftime and Aboubakary Koita’s strike on 58 minutes were not enough to inspire Mauritania to a successful comeback.
The result saw Angola shoot to the top of Group D from position three while Mauritania remain at the foot of the table after suffering two defeats.
Gelson Dala first acrobatically fired home after Mauritania had tried to clear a corner kick.
Mauritania responded with Amar weaving his way past three Angola defenders before unleashing a shot into the bottom corner that gave Angola goalkeeper Neblu no chance
The Mauritanians resorted to shooting from long range and it caused problems for Neblu who was then forced to brilliantly save a Pape Ba cracker on 45 minutes.
Action then swung to the other end where Gilberto blasted over the bar from point-blank range while facing Mauritania’s lanky goalkeeper Babacar Niasse.
Angola started the second half strongly with Dala completing his brace by cleanly beating Niasse from an acute angle.
Gilberto then furthered the Palanca Negras’ advantage when his shot was deflected by Lamine Ba to fool a hapless Niasse.
Another long-range shot by the Mauritanians reduced arrears, this time coming from the boot of Aboubakary Koita to complete a goal-crazed 13 minutes.
Pictured above: Algeria forward Riyad Mahrez tussles for possession with Burkina Faso defender Steeve Yago
Image source: CAF
