Algeria coach Rabah Saadane blamed hot weather for his side’s stunning 3-0 defeat to Malawi in their African Cup of Nations opener on Monday.
The Desert Foxes, who will be one of Africa’s representatives at the World Cup in June, were punished for their lackluster display by minnows Malawi in a near-empty November 11 stadium.
Malawi took a 2-0 lead before halftime, thanks to goals from Russell Mwafulirwa and Elvis Kafoteka.
Davi Banda scored in the second half to wrap up Malawi’s first ever win in the Nations Cup.
“The hot weather heavily affected our display in the first half,” Saadane told Al-Jazeera Sports after the game.
“The majority of Algeria players play in Europe so they are not used to such weather.
“In the second half we improved and created several goalscoring opportunities but we were unlucky.”
Algeria next face Mali, who staged a remarkable comeback to hold tournament hosts Angola to a 4-4 draw on Sunday, on Thursday.
“Playing at night in the coming game will help us produce a better display than tonight’s,” Saadane added.
Malawi coach Kinnah Phiri said he did not believe that the hot weather favored his side.
“It was obvious that both teams suffered because of the weather, not just Algeria,” he commented.
“Defeating Algeria is not a surprise because we already drew with Egypt and Ghana and beat Mozambique in the pre-tournament games. However, I was surprised that my side won with such a large scoreline.
“We will take it one game at a time to reach the quarter final. Malawi have a squad that is capable of achieving that aim.”
