Equatorial Guinea stunned AFCON defending champions Algeria to leave them on the brink of a group-stage exit from the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. Esteban Obiang slid in at the far post to convert a flick-on and net the only goal with 20 minutes left in Douala.
Defending Champions Algeria have just one point from their opening two games and must beat Ivory Coast in their final Group E game to have a chance of reaching the last 16. The north Africans had two goals ruled out in a scrappy encounter. The result ended Algeria’s 35 matches unbeaten run, just two short of Italy’s world record set last year.
Their last defeat was in October 2018. Equatorial Guinea reached the Nations Cup semi-finals as hosts in 2015 but, having qualified for the tournament by right for the first time, this will go down as one of the biggest results in their history. Juan Micha’s side moves on to three points and is second in Group E, with Ivory Coast top on four points, Sierra Leone third on two while Algeria remains in the bottom with one point.
Algeria had chances to equalise, with their record goalscorer Islam Slimani but the former Leicester City player fired wild from close range before Belaili’s rasping low strike from the edge of the area was then ruled out for offside.