Algeria finish second in Group C

Cape Town - Algeria booked a place in the quarter-finals of the African Nations Cup with a deserved 2-0 win over Senegal in their final Group C clash in Malabo on Tuesday.

The Algerians finish second in the pool behind Ghana and were full value for their win after goals from Riyad Mahrez and Nabil Bentaleb.

Senegal had plenty of the ball, but found creating clear-cut chances against the resolute Algerians hard to come by and in the end it was a comfortable night for the north Africans.

After Sofiane Feghouli had missed an early one-on-one chance, Mahrez put Algeria ahead when he was played into space on the left-hand side of the box and slipped the ball past the advancing Bouna Coundoul in the Senegal goal.

Senegal dominated possession for much of the remainder of the match, but did little with it as the organised north Africans easily kept them at bay.

Midfielder Sadio Mane had their bet chance of the game but slipped just as he looked to turn the ball home from six-yards, but there was little else to worry Algeria goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi other than shots from range which proved confortable.

The game was ended as a contest on 82 minutes when Bentaleb picked up the ball on the edge of the area and with no-one on the Senegal side prepared to close him down, fired in a low shot that had the beating of Coundoul.

Algeria (1) 2 (Mahrez 11’, Bentaleb 82’)
Senegal 0

Senegal: Bouna Coundoul, Lamine Sane, Cheikhou Kouyate, Papy Djilobodji, Kara Mbodj, Cheikh M'Bengue (Pape Souare 29’), Pape Kouly Diop (Papiss Cisse 54’), Idrissa Gana Gueye, Sadio Mane (Dame N'Doye 66’), Stephane Badji, Mame Biram Diouf
 
Algeria: Rais Mbolhi, Carl Medjani, Faouzi Ghoulam, Madjid Bougherra, Aissa Mandi, Saphir Taider, Yacine Brahimi (Medhi Lacen 72’), Nabil Bentaleb, Riyad Mahrez (Ahmed Kashi 90’), El Arabi Soudani (Ishak Belfodil 80’), Sofiane Feghouli