Algeria pay the penalty! Frustration for Riyad Mahrez's side as Angola fight back to snatch shock draw in AFCON opener

Algeria, who dominated proceedings right from the word go, had their first scoring opportunity in the ninth minute when Youcef Belaili intercepted Riyad Mahrez's through ball and attempted a shot but Neblu parried the ball away.

Nine minutes later, they finally broke the deadlock when Baghdad Bounedjah followed Belaili's long ball inside the Angolan box and found the back of the net with a simple lob.

In the 25th minute, Bounedjah almost doubled his team's with an acrobatic strike as he received a pass inside the box with his chest before slotting the ball home with a brilliant volley. Unfortunately, he intercepted the pass in an offside position and the goal was ruled out.

The Palancas Negras finally had their moment in the 65th minute when Nabil Bentaleb brought down Mabululu inside the box. The 31-year-old's initial strike from the penalty spot had hit the underside of the crossbar but he managed to slot it home from rebound.

The entire Angolan team did a fantastic job in keeping the superior Algerians at bay, a team who are 87 places above them in the FIFA rankings. They did not give up despite conceding early in the first half and their hard work on the pitch finally paid off when they netted the equaliser after earning a penalty.

Former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez had a quiet evening on the pitch as he was heavily marked by the Angolan defender and could hardly breach their defence. A lot was expected from the experienced Algerian but he failed to deliver in his team's tournament opener and cut a frustrated figure throughout the 90 minutes.

Mahrez and Co. will aim to bounce back in their second group game on January 20 when they take on Burkina Faso. On the same day, the Angolans will face Mauritania.