Algeria 1 Burundi 1: Baghdad Bounedjah’s strike not enough as Swallows hold Desert Foxes

Burundi held Algeria to a 1-1 draw in an international friendly game in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday.

Having started their preparation for the African finals on an impressive note with 1-0 win over Tunisia in March, the Desert Foxes continue their build-up to the competition against the Swallows.

However, Rais M'Bolhi’s own goal cancelled out Baghdad Bounedjah’s opener to deny the Desert Warriors a chance to continue on the winning ways.

After the first-half ended in a deadlock, Bounedjah opened the scoring in the 68th minute to put Djamel Belmadi’s men on the path of victory.

With 15 minutes left to play, Rais M'Bolhi turned the ball into his own net to deny the Desert Foxes victory over the Swallows.

The draw means the North Africans have maintained their unbeaten run against Burundi, having won three of their previous four meetings and drawn one.

The Desert Warriors will continue their preparation for the tournament with a friendly game against Mali on Saturday.

In Egypt, they will hope to navigate their way past Group C rivals Senegal, Kenya and Tanzania.

The 1990 African champions will open their campaign in the biennial tournament against the Harambee Stars on June 23.

Burundi, meanwhile, have been drawn along with Nigeria, Guinea and Madagascar in Group B. They will play their first match in the tournament against the Super Eagles on June 22.