Baghdad Bounedjah is Algeria's saviour! Stunning last-gasp equaliser keeps slim Africa Cup of Nations hopes alive as Burkina Faso denied in dramatic ending

Algeria were worthy of the point but they looked dead and buried by the time the forward popped up to get the crucial equaliser and keep his team's hopes of qualifying for the knockout round alive.

Burkina Faso had stolen the lead at the end of the first half when Mohamed Konate got on the end of a high pass from Abdoul Taposba and headed it in. Their celebrations were crushed when the offside flag went up, but a VAR check decided he was onside and gave the goal.

Burkina Faso had a bright start to the second half as Ibrahim Toure got into a dangerous position and unleashed a shot, but he failed to hit the target. Just a minute later, Algeria pulled level when a free-kick made its way to Bounedjah and he managed to tuck it into the net. He had the chance to put Algeria ahead shortly afterwards but his header went wide of the target.

Despite Algeria being on top in the second half, it was Burkina Faso who next took the lead after Rayan Ait-Nouri committed a foul in the box and gave away a penalty. Bertrand Traore, who had just come on six minutes before, converted the spot-kick comfortably. But just as Algeria looked doomed to suffer a possibly AFCON-ending defeat, a late corner was whipped into the box where Bounedjah rose to head in the vital equaliser to keep his team in the competition - for now.

With two goals - including a late equaliser - Bounedjah will go down as a national hero if Algeria go far in the competition after rescuing a point for his side here. His first was a scrappy one from close range and, just as Algeria looked beaten, he popped up with a late header to save a vital point for his team.

Had Ait-Nouri not caught an opponent when he went in to win the ball inside the Algeria box, the Fennec Foxes may have taken more than a point from this game. His error put his team under immense pressure and with a chance of crashing out of the competition altogether until Bounedjah stepped up with the equaliser.

Algeria have two points from their two matches in the competition and must beat Mauritania to stay in the competition, while leaders Burkina Faso have four points and take on Angola in their last game.