CAN 2025 / Algeria 3 VS Sudan 0: Bennacer’s immediate reaction
CAN 2025 / Algeria 3 – 0 Sudan: Ismaël Bennacer speaks as if in the heat of the moment
At 3:30 p.m., Bennacer emerged from the tunnel—his shirt soaked and his eyes steady. 3-0 victory, yet he spoke with the candor of a man under scrutiny:
“I’m not back to 100 percent yet. I didn’t get back until the end of September, but I feel good.”
Words drop, raw and unfiltered; he knows there are critics on social media, and every missed pass becomes a looping gif. He owned it, adding that pressure is “good” when you wear national colors, before concluding:
“We started the game in style.”
In the mixed zone, he immediately switches into coaching mode. He talks about the team as a compass:
“We have a good team, very committed, which is very important.”
He didn’t mention Mahrez, Maza or the defense; he didn’t mention Mahrez. He emphasized the spirit—the only asset that would not wither in Rabat’s heat. He is already looking to the future:
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No empty words, just a ticking clock.
Wearing headphones and replaying first-half highlights on his phone, he walked to the team bus. He knows that if the next game is not 6-0, the audience will forget about this 3-0. So he repeated his mantra almost to himself:
“I’m not 100 percent yet, but I’m here.”
As night falls, Bennacer has moved on to the next challenge, leaving behind the noise and dust of a game that has just begun.
