GABORONE, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Botswana suffered a 3-1 loss to Algeria at home in a Group G match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Friday.

After an even duel for most of the first half, Algeria opened the scoring in the 44th minute through Amine Gouiri, dealing a blow to the host, who struggled to recover after halftime as Algeria continued to show its class in attack.

In the 52nd minute, an excellent pass from Gouiri sent Mohamed Amoura in behind Botswana's rearguard and the Wolfsburg forward cleverly poked the ball past goalkeeper Goitseone Phoko.

The host found a way back into the match in the 70th minute when Tebogo Kopelang saw his header saved by Algeria goalkeeper Alexis Guendouz before pouncing on a rebound.

However, Botswana's any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished four minutes later by Amoura, who got behind the defense again before dribbling around Phoko to net home.

Botswana currently sits fourth in the group with six points from five outings, behind Algeria, Mozambique and Guinea.

Despite the defeat, Botswana's head coach Morena Ramoreboli remained optimistic and determined, stressing on the importance of next Tuesday's home match against Somalia.

"The remaining matches are like the Cup finals for us," he said. Enditem

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