Mares urged to dig deep after opening stumble

Kabelo Boranabi | Wednesday July 9, 2025 11:07

An early sucker punch just 10 minutes into the game was all Algeria needed to bag maximum points, leaving Botswana on a steeper road to the knockout rounds.

Forward, Ghouthia Karchouni pounced on a cut-back from the right and slipped the ball into the bottom corner past Sedilame Bosija. It was a horror start and it haunted the Mares throughout a lethargic first half in which they failed to register a single attempt at goal. There was a bit more purpose after the break, but not enough to shake the scoreboard. The North Africans, the second lowest-ranked team in the group after Botswana, walked away with three massive points and with Nigeria sweeping Tunisia aside 3–0 in the earlier game, the pressure has officially cranked up for coach Alex Malete and his troops to reach the final eight round.

Speaking to journalists in a post-match briefing, Malete said his side needs a proactive approach in the final two group games in a bid to turn their fortunes around. “Going into the last two games, we need to be very proactive. We cannot always wait for the (halftime) break to make things right. Making it easy for our opponents in the first half by giving them goals that should not have been goals. So we need to first improve that and also improve the resilience, especially in the first half. We are here because we qualified and we are here because we deserve to be here. But we do not start games like we deserve to be here, we need to start stronger,” said Malete.

The Mares now turn their focus to the ultimate test, a showdown with record champions Nigeria to be played on Thursday at Larbi Zaouli Stadium, with kickoff set for 9pm Botswana time. History does not offer much comfort for the Mares. The Super Falcons handed Botswana their heaviest WAFCON defeat in 2022, a 2–0 defeat in the group stages. Malete will, however, be boosted by the return of tough-tackling utility player Lone Gaofetoge, who missed the Algeria tie through suspension.