Bougra Unpacks Algeria’s Arab Cup 2025 Exit: 6 Key Reasons Behind the UAE Shock

Match Recap

Majid Bouguerra, Algeria's head coach, outlined the reasons behind the Desert Warriors' exit from the 2025 Arab Cup after their quarterfinal defeat to the United Arab Emirates.

Algeria bowed out of the Arab Cup in the quarterfinals on Friday after losing to the UAE 7-6 on penalties, following a 1-1 draw in regular and extra time at the Al Bayt Stadium.

Bouguerra said in postmatch remarks that the team played well despite injuries and key absences, and that the UAE also produced a strong performance and was a tough opponent.

We wanted to delight Algerian fans by continuing in the tournament and contesting a place in the final, but that is football, and penalties are the well-known lottery where luck plays a part, Bouguerra added.

Hassan-Din Merzig, an Algeria player, said that reaching the quarterfinals in a big tournament like the Arab Cup makes every match fierce and that luck is distributed unequally.

We played a strong game against a difficult opponent, everyone gave their best on the pitch, we reached penalties, but luck was not on our side and we exit the tournament without defending the title.

Algeria were the defending champions of the Arab Cup, which was held in 2021 in Qatar, after beating Tunisia in the final at that time.

Punchline 1: Penalties are the lottery of football—Algeria drew the short straw again. Punchline 2: Maybe Bouguerra should coach the ball to score next time.