Ait-Nouri helps Algeria to emphatic win to start AFCON | OneFootball

Rayan Ait-Nouri played the first hour as Algeria began their African Cup of Nations campaign with a 3-0 win over Sudan in Morocco.

Men's Team

Score Like an Egyptian

Former City man Riyad Mahrez was the star for the Fennec Foxes, scoring the first two goals.

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The first came just 80 seconds in, with our ex winger cutting in and curling a familiar finish inside the far post from around 12 yards.

Ait-Nouri was at the heart of the next key moment as he was fouled in the 39th minute by Sudan’s Salah Adil, who was promptly shown a second yellow card.

That left even more space for our attack-minded full-back to venture into, with the 24-year-old spending much of his time closer to Sudan’s goal than his own.

Mahrez then made no mistake with his second huge opportunity just after the hour mark, beating goalkeeper Monged El Neel in a one-on-one situation.

That inspired Algeria boss Vladimir Petkovic to substitute Ait-Nouri with the promise of tougher tests to come in Group E.

With half the team switched, Ibrahim Maza added the final gloss to the scoreline in the 85th minute.

Widely regarded as one of the favourites for this edition, Algeria are seeking their third ever AFCON trophy after triumphs in 1990 and 2019.

Their tournament continues on 28 December when they face Burkina Faso in a 17:30 (UK) start before their Group E concludes against Equatorial Guinea at 16:00 (UK) on 31 December.

The tournament itself runs until Sunday 18 January, when the final will be held at the Prince Moulay Abdelleh Stadium in Rabat.

We’ll have roundups of every game at the African Cup of the Nations involving Ait-Nouri or Omar Marmoush on mancity.com and our official app.