ALGERIA BOW OUT

Despite not being favourites for the African cup of nations 2013, Algeria were expected to do well in the tournament and progress past the group stages. However, they have bowed out of the tournament in the group stages itself. The recent 2-0 defeat at the hands of Togo were enough to send Algeria out of the competition.

They have no points from two matches played so far. Dove Wome and the Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor scored two goals for Togo in the match. After the defeat, the manager Vahid Halilhodzic said that he is extremely surprised by the poor showing of the team, but he is ready to accept the blame for the exit from the competition.

He has said that there was a feeling before the match that the Algerian team was better than the Togo team. This led to the players playing a style of football that did not suit them. This ultimately resulted in the team paying the price by exiting the tournament. However, he retained his faith in the team by saying that this team will be able to do well at the next African cup of nations with the addition of a few players in certain areas of the pitch.

“We can complain and we can cry but today I feel a huge sense of shame and disappointment. It is as if I did not understand anything about football. It is difficult to analyse the situation, I am taking responsibility for the loss. I feel a sense of deep shame. Some of us thought we were too good for Togo and our players wanted to play a style of football that they were not used to and we paid the price for taking them for granted,” said Halilhodzic. Algeria are without a win in the last four matches.