Removing “The Greens” from the nominations circle.. Riyad Mahrez: “We have no margin for failure in “Alkan” – Algerian Al-Hiwar newspaper

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National team captain Riyad Mahrez revealed the most important goals of the “Greens” in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals, which will start on December 21 and last until January 18, 2026 in Morocco, stressing that they will try to give their best in the tournament in order to please the Algerians, but on the other hand, he removed the “Greens” from the circle of candidates for the title, as the Saudi Al-Ahly star stated to the Confederation of African Football website, saying: “We must be realistic, according to… “Because of what happened in the last two editions, we do not have the luxury of failure, and although some believe that Algeria is one of the candidates for the title, to me this does not mean much, because we are required first to pass the first round.” Mahrez’s reserved statements come from the disappointment he and his teammates recorded in the last two tournaments (Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire). After winning the African Cup of Nations title in Egypt in 2019, Algeria failed to pass the first round in the last two editions in 2021 and 2023, which made everyone focus first on qualifying for the next round of the group that includes Buzerkina Faso, Sudan, and Equatorial Guinea, and then play each match as a final.
The “Greens” will play their first match in the continental tournament against Sudan on the 24th of December, then Burkina Faso on the 28th of the same month, before concluding the first round matches on the 31st of the same month against Equatorial Guinea.