Algeria secured third place at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after defeating hosts Morocco 3-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in regulation time on Saturday.
The result handed Morocco another painful penalty shootout defeat just days after they suffered a similar fate against Cameroon in the semi-finals.
Morocco appeared on course for victory after Kautar Azraf opened the scoring in the 37th minute, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead.
However, Algeria fought back late in the match, with Lina Boussaha finding the equaliser in the 83rd minute.
With no extra time played, the contest went straight to penalties.
Morocco successfully converted their opening two attempts but failed to score with their next three kicks, allowing Algeria to take control of the shootout.
Algeria also missed two of their four attempts before Ines Belloumou calmly converted the decisive kick to secure the bronze medal for the North Africans.
The defeat marked another disappointing finish for Morocco, who have now hosted three consecutive editions of the WAFCON without winning the title. They finished runners-up in both 2022 and 2024.
Despite missing out on the podium, Morocco have already secured qualification for next year’s 32-team Women’s World Cup in Brazil by reaching the semi-finals.
Algeria and Cameroon have also booked their places at the global tournament, while Malawi will face Cameroon in Sunday’s final.
South Africa and Ghana still have an opportunity to join the other African nations at the World Cup through the intercontinental play-offs.
