ALGIERS – Algeria's national team arrived back home on Saturday
to a hero's welcome after they claimed their second Africa Cup title
the day before.
Algeria clinched the continental trophy after a 1-0 win in the final
in Cairo thanks to an early deflected goal from Baghdad Bounedjah.
Thousands of fervent supporters gathered Saturday outside the Houari
Boumediene airport in the Algerian capital.
Live television footage showed the team's captain Riyad Mahrez
lifting the trophy as he emerged from the plane that carried them
from Cairo.
The team later boarded a bus and greeted fans who lined the road from
the airport into the city.
Flying high with your title 🛫 🔝 #TotalAFCON2019 #CelebrateAfrica pic.twitter.com/43IchFKx1W
— CAF (@CAF_Online) July 20, 2019
Thousands more converged on the city's major squares, waving the
national flag and sporting the team's shirt in celebration of the
Fennecs' triumph.
Massive euphoria over the win tempers political tensions in the North
African country.
In recent months, Algeria has been rocked by mass demonstrations that
forced long-time ruler Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down in April.
Since then, demonstrations have continued in Algeria to pressure key
Bouteflika-era officials into leaving and demand an overhaul of the
political system.