Boulbina takes Algeria to CHAN finals

AFP, Johannesburg:

Rising star Adil Boulbina scored twice as Algeria beat Gambia 3-0 in Annaba on Friday in a second round, second leg to qualify for the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN).

Algeria won 3-0 on aggregate after a 0-0 draw in Bakau last weekend and will face Uganda, Niger, Guinea and South Africa or Malawi in Group C.

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will co-host from August 2-30 a competition restricted to footballers playing in their country of birth.

The 19-nation tournament was originally scheduled for February, but had to be delayed after preparations fell behind schedule.

Gambia arrived in the port city 420 kilometres (260 Miles) east of Algiers only on the morning of the match after a flight delay left them temporarily stranded in Mauritania.

Despite being ill-prepared, Gambia contained Algeria until the opening minute of the second half when Abderrahmane Meziane fired across goalkeeper Lamin Saidy into the far corner of the net.
Superb passes set up 22-year-old Boulbina for his goals after 71 and 91 minutes. He is the leading scorer with 15 goals in the Algerian championship this season.

This will be the third appearance of Algeria at the biennial tournament. They finished fourth in 2011 and were runners-up to Senegal when they hosted the 2023 edition.

South Africa, who trail Malawi 1-0 going into the second leg of their qualifier in Pretoria on Sunday, have bolstered the squad with six newcomers.

Despite being restricted to home-based players, CHAN matches carry full international status and count toward the world rankings.