Shock .. Baghdad Bounedjah was excluded from the list of Algeria for the two "decisive" confrontations of Cameroon
Al-Sadd striker Baghdad Bounedjah was excluded from the list of Algeria coach Jamal Belmadi, which included 24 players to participate in the two play-off matches against Cameroon in the African qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in football at the end of this month.
According to the list published on the Algerian Federation website on Saturday, Belmadi decided to dispense with his first striker for several years, Baghdad Bounedjah (30 years old), who scored 24 goals in 57 international matches, and replace him with veteran Qatari Al Wakrah club striker Mohamed Benyato, who is entering the squad for the first time.
Belmadi also excluded West Ham striker Said Benrahma and Al Rayyan midfielder Yassin Brahimi.
Bounedjah wrote on his Instagram page: "I wish the team all the best and, God willing, qualify for the World Cup."
Veteran Adlan Guedioura (36 years), average in the English third division, was also recalled, along with Hertha Berlin striker Isaac Belfodil (30 years), who has been absent from the national team since 2018.
It is expected that Belmadi will hold a press conference on Sunday to explain his options, on the eve of the start of the team’s camp, before traveling to Douala to face Cameroon at Jaboma Stadium, on March 25, and then go back to Algeria on March 29 at the Mustapha Chaker Stadium in Blida, in the presence of the public.
The winner of the two matches qualifies for the World Cup finals.
And the Algerian authorities decided to transport about 1,700 Algerian supporters to support their team in Cameroon, in an air bridge of 11 planes that make a round trip on the same day.
After winning the 2019 African Nations Cup for the second time in its history, the Algerian team suffered a setback in the last edition in Cameroon when it was eliminated early from the group stage.
Algeria participated four times in the World Cup in 1982, 1986, 2010 and 2014 when it reached the round of 16 and lost after the extension to Germany, which later won the title, knowing that it achieved a resounding surprise in the 1982 edition when it defeated West Germany, which was full of stars and runner-up.
The list of 24
goalkeepers: Rais Mbolhi (Saudi Ettifaq), Alexandre Okija (French Metz), Mustafa Zaghba (Damk Saudi)
, Defense: Rami Bin Sabaini (Borussia Monchengladbach, Germany), Jamal Bin Al-Omari (Qatar, Qatar), Youssef Attal (Nice, France). Issa Mandy (Villarreal, Spain), Abdelkader Badran (Esperance of Tunisia), Mahdi Taherat (Al Gharafa, Qatar), Hussein Bin Ayada and Youssef Laouafi (Tunisian coastal star), Ahmed Touba (Valvik Dutch),
midfield: Ismail Bin Nasser (AC Milan, Italy). Ramez Zerrougui (Netherlands Twente), Sofiane Feghouli (Galatasaray, Turkey), Adlan Qedioura (Porton Albion, England), Sufian Bendabkeh (Saudi Conquest), Hisham Boudaoui (Nice, France).
Forwards: Islam Slimani (Sporting, Portugal), Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City, England), Youssef Belaili (Brest, France), Rachid Ghazal (Besiktas, Turkey), Mohamed Ben Yatto (Al Wakrah, Qatar), Ishaq Belfodil (Hertha Berlin, Germany).
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