The Greens defeated Burkina Faso 1-0 in the second round of the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.
The match was held at Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Sunday evening.
The national team contented itself with scoring a single goal, to secure the top spot in Group Five and win qualification to the round of 16.
Captain Riyad Mahrez scored the goal from a penalty kick, which Ghanaian referee Daniel Laria awarded to left back Rayan Ait Nouri after he was fouled by midfielder Ismaila Ouedraogo in the 23rd minute.
Riyad strengthened his personal record in the African Cup of Nations, as he scored his third goal in the 35th edition and his ninth in six full participations.
Riyad Mahrez opens the scoring for the Algerian national team from the penalty spot! ⚽
Quiet execution and a perfect start for the desert warriors! 🇩🇿💪#Africa_Cup of Nations#AFCON2025 | #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 pic.twitter.com/0MrTdAyR4e— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) December 28, 2025
A tactical lesson from Petkovic
The imprint of Bosnian coach Vladimir Petkovic was evident in the Greens’ performance, especially during the second half.
The forced and early change did not affect the departure of Joan Hijam and the entry of Baghdad Bounedjah. The team was balanced, as the players showed a strong personality.
Hijam left the field after suffering an ankle injury in the 13th minute, following a violent intervention by Burkinabe midfielder Gustavo Singari.
Petkovic made three changes to the starting lineup, in addition to his decision to adopt a plan different from the one he relied on against Sudan in the first match.
The Bosnian inserted Samir Chergui in place of Rafik Belghali on the right flank, in order to ensure the necessary coverage in Riyad Mahrez’s back.
He also brought in Ibrahim Mazza as playmaker, replacing Fares Shaybi.
Brian Ait Nouri was pushed to the left wing position, but he quickly returned him to his original position after Hajam was injured.
The national team appeared with two different tactical patterns, the first 4-2-3-1 in the first half and the second 3-5-2 in the second half.
At a time when the sports fans watching the match were waiting for the team to settle down on defense and maintain its lead, the players showed an offensive tendency and created several good scoring opportunities.
Coach Petkovic made a bold decision a quarter of an hour into the second half, replacing Mahrez with key defender Zinedine Belaid.
The coach takes credit for this tactical change. This is because the second alternative, Rafiq Bulghali, is more inclined to go up the hall, unlike Samir Sharqi.
This move forced the Burkinabé national team to venture in order to adjust the result, which caused it to leave large spaces in its back areas.
The Greens seemed more dangerous with the new formation, especially in counterattacks, as Bounedjah and his teammates had several opportunities that they did not exploit well.
Oh, I’ll just forget!!! 😰
Watch Ibrahim Mazza’s first pass and then his amazing dribble in the second shot
Baghdad Bounedjah is a disaster
– Nawaf Al-Asian 🇸🇦 (@football_li5) December 28, 2025
Maza is a great addition to the team
Bayer Leverkusen’s German midfielder Ibrahim Mazza proved his mettle against Burkina Faso, as his movements and frequent requests for balls troubled the opponents.
Mazza succeeded in performing defensive and offensive tasks, as he did not skimp on helping Bennacer and Boudawi in recovering at times and in building the game or trying to end attacks at other times.
Ibrahim almost scored his second goal in the competition, after he had two real chances in the second half.
Mazza won the best player award in the Burkina Faso match.
Ibrahim Mazza is a constant threat to the goal of the Burkina Faso national team#Africa_Cup of Nations#AFCON2025 | #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 pic.twitter.com/cunSN4ZkS9
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) December 28, 2025
#Greens #strong #personality #defeat #Burkina #Faso #qualify #final
#oussama_boulegheb #elhiwardz #alakhibariat.xyz #elhiwar #elhiwar-en
