This archive report was first published on 20 July 2019.
On July 19, 2019, Algeria forward Baghdad Bounedjah's tears of despair turned to unmitigated joy as he scored the goal which won his country the Africa Cup of Nations for only the second time and the first in 29 years.
Bounedjah had not had the happiest of tournaments, criticized for his wayward finishing after scoring in the opening match against Kenya.
However, his fortunes changed when he scored the winning goal in the second minute of the final, with the ball taking a wicked deflection off a defender.
Coach Djamel Belmadi came out in defence of his beleaguered number nine, saying, "I chose Bounedjah because he works a lot. He assisted with all our goals, he scored in qualifying. He's an outstanding scorer, a huge worker. Penalty missed, no worries for me."
Bounedjah's second minute shot brought Algeria a title few had thought possible only a few months earlier, and he vowed to always fight for his country.
"I came here to fight for Algeria, no other incentive," he said. "I will always fight for Algeria."
