Bounedjah gave Algeria a dream start against Sadio Maneu00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0099s Senegal, the top team in Africa
Algerian players celebrate their win over Senegal to clinch the Africa Cup of Nations at the Cairo International Stadium on Friday. Pic /AFP
Cairo: Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi lauded his side's "incredible" Africa Cup of Nations triumph on Friday as Baghdad Bounedjah's early goal earned a 1-0 victory over Senegal in the final.
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Bounedjah gave Algeria a dream start against Sadio Mane's Senegal, the top team in Africa, in front of a large Cairo crowd when his deflected shot looped over Senegal goalkeeper Alfred Gomis.
The second-minute strike was enough to propel Algeria to a first Cup of Nations title in 29 years, and the country's first on foreign soil, having lifted the trophy as hosts in 1990.
"I'm very happy. Our whole nation, our people were waiting for this second star for a long time," said Belmadi, who took charge of a squad in disarray last August.
"It's our first Cup of Nations won away from home. It's incredible especially when you look at where we came from. "I took over a team that was really struggling."
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