On July 19, 2019, at the Cairo International Stadium, Algeria defeated Senegal 1-0 in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations. Baghdad Bounedjah's second-minute goal — a deflected shot that looped over the goalkeeper — was enough to bring the trophy home. For the first time in 29 years, the Desert Foxes were African champions. The celebrations that erupted in Algiers, Oran, Constantine, and in Algerian communities across France and the diaspora were unlike anything the nation had seen since independence. Led by coach Djamel Belmadi — a former player who had taken over a broken team and transformed them into champions — and captained by Riyad Mahrez, the Manchester City star who had won the Premier League just months earlier, Algeria played with passion, discipline, and a burning desire to honor the millions who had suffered through the Black Decade, through disappointment, through near-misses. The 2019 AFCON was not just a football tournament. It was a national catharsis — a vindication of the Algerian spirit.
Summary: Algeria won the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, their first title since 1990 and second overall. They defeated Senegal 1-0 in the final. Their journey: finished top of Group C with wins over Kenya, Senegal, and Tanzania; defeated Guinea 3-0 in the Round of 16; defeated Ivory Coast on penalties (4-3) in the quarterfinals; defeated Nigeria 2-1 in the semifinals; defeated Senegal 1-0 in the final. Star players: Riyad Mahrez (captain, winning goal vs Nigeria), Baghdad Bounedjah (final hero), Islam Slimani, and goalkeeper Rais M'Bolhi. Coach Djamel Belmadi was the mastermind behind the triumph. The victory sparked massive celebrations across Algeria and the Algerian diaspora worldwide.
👨🏫 Djamel Belmadi: The Coach Who Believed
Djamel Belmadi took over the Algerian national team in August 2018. The team was in crisis — humiliated at the 2017 AFCON, where they crashed out in the group stage, and demoralized after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Belmadi — a former Algerian international who had played in England, France, and Qatar — brought intensity, tactical discipline, and an almost fanatical belief. He rebuilt the team's spirit, instilled a high-pressing style, and created a family atmosphere. He was not just a coach — he was a leader. He cried after the final whistle, embraced his players, and dedicated the victory to the Algerian people. "This is for the people who have suffered," he said. "This is for the martyrs, for the poor, for every Algerian who loves this country."
⚽ The Road to Glory
Group C: Algeria defeated Kenya 2-0, Senegal 1-0, and Tanzania 3-0 to top the group with a perfect record. Round of 16 — Guinea 0-3 Algeria: A dominant performance. Bounedjah, Mahrez, and Ounas scored. Quarterfinal — Ivory Coast 1-1 (Algeria won 4-3 on penalties): The defining moment of Algeria's tournament. Ivory Coast equalized late. The match went to a dramatic penalty shootout. Algeria scored — then missed — then watched as Ivory Coast's Wilfried Bony hit the post and Serey Dié missed. Algeria were through. Semifinal — Algeria 2-1 Nigeria: Mahrez scored a stunning last-minute free kick — bent into the top corner — to win the match. The image of Mahrez, arms outstretched, running in celebration, became the iconic photograph of the tournament. Final — Algeria 1-0 Senegal: Baghdad Bounedjah scored in the 2nd minute. His shot deflected off a Senegal defender and looped over the goalkeeper's head — a bizarre, beautiful goal. Senegal pushed relentlessly, but Algeria's defense — marshaled by the imperious Djamel Benlamri and goalkeeper Rais M'Bolhi — held firm. The final whistle sparked delirium.
"I dedicate this trophy to the Algerian people. They have waited 29 years. This is for you."
🌟 Riyad Mahrez: The Captain
Riyad Mahrez was the symbol of the 2019 team. Born in Sarcelles, France, to an Algerian father and a mother of Algerian and Moroccan descent, Mahrez had risen from the streets of the Paris suburbs to become a Premier League champion with Leicester City in 2016 — the greatest underdog story in football history. In 2019, he had just won the Premier League with Manchester City. For Algeria, he was the captain, the talisman, the player who carried the weight of a nation's expectations. His free kick against Nigeria was the moment of a champion. Mahrez's style — elegant, technical, unhurried — contrasted with the raw passion of the team around him. He was the artist, and his teammates were the warriors. Together, they were the perfect blend. When Mahrez lifted the AFCON trophy, he fulfilled his father's dream — his father, who had died when Riyad was 15, had always said he would be a great footballer.
🎉 The Celebration: Algeria Erupts
When the final whistle blew in Cairo, Algeria erupted. In Algiers, the streets filled with millions of people waving flags, honking horns, lighting flares, and chanting "One, Two, Three, Viva l'Algérie!" The celebration was the largest in Algeria since independence in 1962. In France — home to millions of Algerians — the Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Canebière in Marseille, the streets of Lyon and Lille were taken over by delirious crowds waving the green, white, and red flag. The celebrations became controversial: some French media criticized the "invasion" of French streets by Algerian flags. For Algerians, it was a moment of pure pride — a reminder that they had won, that they existed, that their flag had meaning. The victory transcended football. It was a statement of identity, of resilience, of joy in a world that often offered Algerians little to celebrate.
The Second Star
"Algeria's 2019 AFCON triumph was more than a tournament victory. It was a national rebirth. The team that had been written off after 2017 became champions of Africa. The coach who was unknown internationally outsmarted everyone. The captain who had been told he was too skinny, too slow, too weak, lifted the trophy. The 2019 Desert Foxes were a team of immigrants and sons of immigrants, of players who had grown up in the banlieues of France and the streets of Algiers — a team that represented the complexity and the pride of modern Algeria. 29 years of waiting — through the Black Decade, through political turmoil, through near-misses — ended in a single deflected goal. The second star on the Algerian jersey was earned with blood, sweat, and a nation's tears."
🤔 Frequently Asked Questions
1) When did Algeria last win AFCON before 2019? 1990 — when Algeria hosted the tournament and defeated Nigeria 1-0 in the final, their first title.
2) Who scored the winning goal in the 2019 final? Baghdad Bounedjah scored in the 2nd minute — a deflected shot that looped over Senegal's goalkeeper.
3) Who was the coach of Algeria in 2019? Djamel Belmadi, a former Algerian international who was appointed in August 2018.
4) Did Mahrez win the Premier League in the same year? Yes — Mahrez won the Premier League with Manchester City in 2018–19, then captained Algeria to AFCON glory a few weeks later.