Algeria coach Brahim Hemdani says he is not satisfied with his side’s 2-2 draw against Burundi in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Bujumbura.
The Greens recovered from a difficult opening 12 minutes, when they fell two goals behind, but Hemdani believes the result did not meet the target Algeria had set for their first two matches.
Bachir Belloumi and Adil Boulbina scored as Algeria fought back to earn a point and remain unbeaten after two rounds of Group I qualifying.
The result leaves Algeria with four points and temporarily at the top of the group, but Hemdani admitted his team had wanted a perfect return from their opening fixtures.
“Satisfied? No, because we came here for a better result. The ambition was to take 6 points from these two matches, we didn’t manage to do that,” Hemdani said after the match.
Algeria had been in serious trouble early in Bujumbura after Burundi scored twice within the opening 12 minutes.
The visitors responded through Belloumi before Boulbina completed the comeback in the second half, preventing Algeria from suffering defeat.
Although Hemdani was disappointed by the dropped points, he said the response from his players after the poor start was something worth taking from the match.
“Today, as I told the players, we’ll look at the glass as half full, not half empty. We had a rather difficult start to the match, conceding two avoidable chances and two goals. However, in terms of mental strength, we were able to react. Coming back from two goals down isn’t always easy, and that’s what I prefer to remember.”
The comeback demonstrated Algeria’s ability to recover from a difficult situation, but the coach believes it should not hide the areas where his side struggled.
Hemdani was particularly concerned about Algeria’s attacking output and their ability to control the game.
The Greens did not create as many opportunities as he wanted and, even after recovering from their early setback, were unable to establish complete control over the contest.
“I would have liked to see a few more attacking opportunities created and a bit more control over the match as a whole. So we’ll be satisfied with the draw,” explained the coach.
The comments underline Hemdani’s mixed assessment of the result.
Algeria avoided defeat and secured a point after being two goals down, but they also missed the opportunity to collect all six points from their first two matches.
The coach therefore views the result as both a positive demonstration of character and an indication of issues that need to be addressed.
“The situation at the start of the match was complicated to turn around, but we were able to react. I prefer to focus on the positives: a point earned under these circumstances.”
Algeria remain unbeaten after two matchdays and have four points in Group I.
