RABAT, Morocco — Legendary French figure Zinedine Zidane observed his son, a goalkeeper, display impressive saves as Algeria commenced their Africa Cup of Nations journey with a dominant 3-0 victory against a Sudanese side reduced to ten players on Wednesday.
Riyad Mahrez found the net on two occasions, while Ibrahim Maza, aged 20, registered his inaugural international goal for the Algerian team, widely considered a contender for the championship, propelling them to the summit of Group E.
Mahrez stated, “Securing a victory to begin was paramount. In the previous two AFCON tournaments, our starts were not strong. Today, our determination to achieve this outcome was very high, and we succeeded.”
Zidane, present at Moulay El Hassan Stadium to witness his son Luca Zidane perform as goalkeeper for Algeria, received enthusiastic cheers from the spectators each time his image appeared on the large display screens.
Luca Zidane chose to play for the nation of his grandfather following an invitation from the Fennec Foxes, and his opportunity to showcase his talent arose due to an injury sustained by Alexandre Oukidja, who would have likely been the primary choice in different circumstances.
Algeria quickly made their mark on Wednesday, as Mahrez deftly converted the initial goal just two minutes into the match, following a selfless assist provided by Hicham Boudaoui.
Luca Zidane, a player for Granada in the Spanish second division, was prompted to intervene soon after, thwarting Yaser Awad’s attempt during a fast break.
Sudan was compelled to participate in all their qualifying matches away from their home territory due to the ongoing civil conflict, which had been devastating the nation for nearly a thousand days.
Despite the Algerians exuding assurance and performing with vigor, significant scoring opportunities emerged for their opponents, as Zidane once more intervened to stop Awad, prior to Abdel Raouf sending his shot high.
Salah Adil received a red card, coinciding with the start of rainfall just ahead of halftime, after accumulating his second yellow card for an infraction against Rayan Aït-Nouri, who would have had a clear path to goal otherwise.
Nevertheless, the Algerian supporters, who comprised the larger portion of the crowd, found it necessary to exercise patience.
Mohammed Amoura delivered an exceptional cross using the outside of his foot, enabling Mahrez to net a goal in the 61st minute; subsequently, Baghdad Bounedjah headed the ball into the trajectory of Maza, allowing the substitute to finalize the score in the 85th minute.
This account incorporated details provided by The Associated Press.
