Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez has acknowledged that Nigeria’s current Super Eagles squad is stronger than the team his side defeated at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, describing the West Africans as a more dangerous force going forward.
Mahrez made the admission while speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of Algeria’s quarter-final clash with Nigeria at the ongoing AFCON 2025 in Morocco.
“The current Nigeria team is better offensively than the one in 2019,” the former Manchester City winger said. “There are a lot of good players in this team.”
Despite his assessment of Nigeria’s attacking strength, Mahrez remained confident in Algeria’s quality and believes fans are in for a thrilling contest between two continental heavyweights.
“We also have a very good team, and we will give our best to make our supporters happy,” he added. “It will be a super match.”
Mahrez will be hoping to draw inspiration from his iconic moment at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, when he scored a stunning late free-kick against Nigeria in the semi-finals to send Algeria through to the final. The Desert Foxes went on to defeat Senegal and lift the trophy for the second time in their history.
Six years on, Nigeria and Algeria are set to renew their fierce rivalry in what is widely regarded as one of the standout fixtures of AFCON 2025, with a place in the semi-finals at stake and both teams in imperious form heading into the clash.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
