Algeria turn deficit against Niger into friendly win

Algeria finished their training camp with a morale-boosting victory, coming from behind to beat Niger 2-1 in a friendly match on Tuesday evening at the Hussein Aït Ahmed Stadium.

The "Greens" started the match below expectations, ending the first half with Nigeria leading by one goal to nil. However, Algeria's performance improved somewhat after the break, despite some ongoing shortcomings in their overall output.

A turning point came in the 54th minute when substitute Bloumi equalized with a powerful and stunning free-kick that found the back of the net, leaving the Nigerian goalkeeper unable to make a save.

With continued Algerian attempts, the "Greens" succeeded in turning the score around in the 72nd minute, after Boulbina was awarded a penalty, which substitute defender Ramy Bensebaini successfully converted, giving his national team the lead for the first time in the match.

National coach Ibrahim Hamdani made a series of substitutions during the match, bringing on Beloumi for the injured Mazza in the 40th minute, then introducing Chayek in place of Baqar in the 62nd minute, before substituting Abada for Nayer, Bourbâa for Aouchiche, Bensebaini for Hjam, as well as Boulebina for Qabal, and Shaibi for Abdeli.

Algeria conclude their training camp with a victory over Niger after starting the international period with a 2-2 draw against Burundi in the Africa Cup of Nations Qualification.

Hamdaoui continues to work on building a team capable of competing in upcoming challenges, with Algeria set to face Togo in November during the third and fourth rounds of the Africa Cup of Nations Qualification for the 2027 finals.