Adel Boulbina Ends Eight-Month Goal Drought as Algeria Draws with Burundi in AFCON Qualifiers

Algeria played out a match against Burundi in the second round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers where they fell two goals down before fighting back to level the score. Adel Boulbina scored the equalising goal for Algeria by bending home a free-kick. This strike ended an international goalscoring drought that had lasted for almost eight full months. His previous goal for the national team came on 6 January, when he scored the winner against DR Congo in the round of 16 at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Club Form

Boulbina plays his club football for Al-Diriyah after joining the team in the summer transfer window from Qatar's Al-Duhail. He has maintained strong form at the start of the season by scoring twice in four matches.

Context

Qualifying matches for the Africa Cup of Nations determine which national teams secure a place in the continent's most prestigious football tournament. Players often carry their club form into international fixtures where dead-ball situations like free-kicks can change the outcome of a tightly contested match.