AFCON 2023 shockers continued on Tuesday night with Algeria being the latest team to be dumped out of the competition after going 0-1 down to minnows Mauritania.
Centre-back Yali Dellahi swept home the winning goal late in the first half to stun the two-time AFCON winners with defeat meaning that the 2019 Champions exit the tournament at the group stage for the second successive edition.
They finish bottom of Group D while Mauritania will progress as one of the best third-placed teams where they will face surprise Group B winners Cape Verde in the last 16 at Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on Monday.
Algeria join fellow former champions Ghana in being eliminated after results earlier on Tuesday meant the Black Stars, with just two points to their name, cannot qualify as one of the top four third-placed sides.
The Lions of Chinguetti had to withstand late pressure and survive more than 11 minutes of stoppage time as Algeria sought a leveller that would have sent them through at Mauritania’s expense. But the underdogs were good value for a victory that sent them into the knock-out stages alongside second-placed Burkina Faso and Angola, who sealed top spot in the group by beating the Burkinabe 2-0.
