AFCON 2025: I’m happy playing against Nigeria again – Algeria captain, Mahrez

Algeria’s team captain, Riyad Mahrez, has talked about one of the most memorable moments in Africa Cup of Nations history, which involved Nigeria.

He remembered a game that is still very special to him, his teammates, and his country.

Mahrez spoke during a press conference on Friday, a day before their quarter final match against the Super Eagles in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Algerian team captain said Nigeria is a team they know well, talking about past games in the Afcon and during friendly matches.

Mahrez said those meetings, especially in the continental competition, created strong memories because of how important they were for Algeria on the world stage.

“Well, obviously when you think about Nigeria, we played them in the African Cup in 2019, and we also played them in a friendly match.

“You definitely can’t forget that moment for me and for the team, for our country.”

The moment Mahrez talked about happened during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final, a game that has since become one of the most important matches in the competition’s history.

In that match, Algeria beat Nigeria 2–1 with Mahrez scoring a crucial free-kick in the last moments of stoppage time, which helped Algeria win and prevented Nigeria from making it to the final.

“It was an incredible moment. It’s always nice to play against a big and strong team. I’m really happy to be back at this stage and to play against a team like Nigeria again.

“That’s where big players belongs. I’m really excited and looking forward to the game tomorrow because I know it’s going to be a great game to watch and to play.”