The Dajamel Belmadi era ended with a definite bang. Now it’s Vladimir Petkovic’s turn. Algeria’s new coach began his tenure yesterday with a short but stunning 3-2 victory over Bolivia. It wasn’t easy as Gowri (43rd) was the opener, but the South Americans turned the match around through Algarnaz (47th) and Sagredo (70th). Fortunately for Fenix, Benzia (79th) and the opportunistic Mandi (90th+4) improved the situation and blew up Baraki’s Nelson Mandela Stadium.
Obviously, the weakness of the opposition, the 86th FIFA nation, puts this performance into perspective. The slowdown seen after the break after a good first period raises questions. It costs almost too much. There is also contentment to highlight the entry of the restless Mounsef Bakrar, for whom he was the first choice. A self-sacrifice from the New York striker also assisted Benzia on the second Algerian goal, when he himself could have scored the winner moments later had it not been for a save from the Bolivian goalkeeper.
The actual air gap when returning from the locker room
“Winning the first match is importantassured the 60-year-old Bosnian at a press conference. We played well in our matches but we missed a lot of chances. We had a solid first half but when we conceded the first goal we struggled mentally to get back into it and we conceded the second goal. We had to have the mental strength to come back and we did. The youngsters made a great entry and allowed us to turn things around. He believes that the work to be done will be on everyone’s head to ensure that operations like Friday night’s are not reduced.
“The players were able to respond by scoring a third goal to equalise. There are good things to remember on the mental side as well. It is my role and our staff to support them in this, then it is the victories that bring back the confidence”, ends Nati’s former strongman. Relaunching Yassin Brahimi (34) in this 4-4-2 would also be a good boost that Algeria can rely on for the future, say South Africa in Tuesday’s friendly. But he will be without Bensbey, injured and replaced by Tougai in the 20th minute.
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