TotalEnergies CAF Futsal AFCON: Debutants Algeria beat Zambia 7-4 to reach the semifinals

Debutants Algeria secured their place in the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations Morocco with a thrilling 7-4 victory over Zambia at the Salle Ibn Yassine.

The Fennecs, appearing at the continental championship for the first time, raced into a 4-0 lead through Ait Hamadouche, Moussa Haddad and a brace from Walid Betterki.

The Chipolopolo hit back to make it 4-2, with Musa Chiyawa and captain Chota Chileshe on target.

Betterki completed his hat-trick after the break, and Mathieu Hammad made it 6-2. Zambia had a goal disallowed before Chileshe pulled another back to make it 6-3, but Hammad struck again to restore Algeria's cushion and seal the win.

Algeria captain Samyr Teffaf said the performance followed a frank conversation within the squad after their opening two matches.

"We had an honest conversation with each other, looking each other straight in the eyes. We told ourselves that we didn't want to go home this weekend," the Garges Djibson keeper told CAFOnilne.

"We gave everything we had because we knew we could compete with this Zambian team. We gave it our all, and we got the three points, which secured our qualification."

The skipper said the early lead was crucial, even though the Chipolopolo threatened a comeback after the break. "They came close to getting back into the game after half-time, but we told ourselves that we had to push harder and secure this qualification."

Teffaf pointed to the squad's long-standing cohesion. "We did what we've been doing for years. We have the same group of players. We had a difficult start to the competition, but we gradually improved as the tournament progressed."

He admitted the opening match against Libya fell short of expectations, but said it fuelled the team. "Against Libya, we didn't play the way we know how to play. We got off to a poor start and had to chase the score throughout the match. However, that experience motivated us even more and pushed us to come out today and show the world what we are capable of."

"The key was to keep believing and never give up. We were trailing against Libya, but we managed to equalise in the final moments of the match. We carried that same mentality into today's game, and it helped us secure our place in the semi-finals."