Riyad Mahrez sends a message to the Algerian fans: "I was not at my best. There is no justification for what happened."

Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez said on Tuesday that the early exit from the African Nations Cup will push the team to return strongly and restore the fans' confidence in the team once again in order to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.

Algeria, the defending champion, finished bottom of Group E in the tournament hosted by Cameroon, with one point, after losing to Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea and a draw with Sierra Leone.

And the Manchester City winger, the leaders of the English Premier League, admitted through his account on Facebook that the entire team did not give its best during the continental championship.

“I would have preferred to wait a few days to talk about the tournament, but I think it is important for the fans to know our frustration and disappointment.

There is no justification for what happened despite the circumstances the team faced.”

The team played its matches in a bad playing field and a difficult climatic atmosphere in the midst of high heat and high humidity.

Mahrez admitted, "First, I was not at my best, when everything was going well, we were winning and at the top and everyone was behind us and many fans and citizens are still supporting us."

The Algerian captain went on to refer to the campaign that affected him, as well as the rest of the players, because of this sudden exit from the tournament, before confirming that what happened would be a lesson for the team's return in strength in the near future.

"I read a lot of negative messages, and it shows again that football is going very fast in both directions, this tournament will serve as a reminder to us and we will come back stronger, make sure of that," he explained.

He concluded his comment by promising the fans to qualify for the World Cup, saying, "We will make the Algerian people proud of us again in the upcoming matches so that we will be able to go to the World Cup. Thank you to everyone who supports us in good and difficult times. Long live Algeria forever."

Algeria will meet Cameroon in the decisive round of qualifying for the World Cup 2020 next March.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news