Africa Cup of Nations match report Algeria v Kenya

Goals from  Baghdad Bounedjah and Riyad Mahrez guided Algeria to a 2-0 win over Kenya  in their Africa Cup of Nations opener on Sunday evening.   Algeria provided the first warning signals, with half-chances from Baghdad Bounedjah and Youcef Belaili in the opening minutes.   The Kenyans contained the Algerians early on, but were cut open after 24 minutes when Belaili brought Patrick Matasi in to action.   The Algerians grabbed the lead after 34 minutes when Bounedjah finished from the spot following a foul on Youcef Atal.   Algeria made it two three minutes before halftime through Mahrez, whose low shot deflected into the net.   The Harambee Stars pushed for a comeback in earnest, as Eric Ouma replaced Francis Kahata at the start of the second half.   Algeria continued their dominance in the second half but found it tough to break down a Kenyan outfit who were more defensively organised.   The Algerians looked to wind down the clock in the final 20 minutes, with the introduction of Mehdi Abeid and Yacine Brahimi.   Chances fell to both sides in the final stages of the contest, but the Algerians reigned supreme in the end.