LOC11:27
08:27 GMT
CAIRO, July 19 (KUNA) -- Algeria and Senegal national football teams will face off in the final match of the 32nd edition of African Cup of Nations (AFCON) at Cairo International Stadium at 19:00 GMT (22:00 local time) on Friday.
The two teams qualified to the final match after Algeria beat Nigeria 2-1, and Senegal defeated Tunisia 1-0 on Sunday.
The Senegalese national team looks forward to winning the continental championship for the first time ever, while its Algerian counterpart aspires to win it for a second time since 1990.
Meanwhile, Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi affirmed in a press conference his players' readiness to play the final match, noting he seeks to prepare the players in a similar fashion as their previous matches in the tourney.
Belmadi also indicated that he counts on his players' high competitive spirit for winning and physical condition as well, expressing keenness to maintain such an enthusiasm, motivation, and fitness among them till the end.
He also said the Senegalese team, which competed in the previous edition of FIFA World Cup, is highly ranked in Africa, noting his team's win over Senegal on June 27 was just a "normal" and should not compare to tonight's final match.
For his part, Senegal coach Aliou Cisse affirmed in a press conference his confidence in his team, which reached an unprecedented status among world football teams, expressing his joy over reaching the final match of AFCON 2019.
Cisse said his team's goal was to play the final match of this continental sport event, noting the loss to Algeria earlier in the tourney was a "mistake" and has been re-evaluated.
Algeria's interim President Abdelkader Bensalah arrived in Cairo on Thursday to support his country's team against Senegal in the 2019 AFCON final. (end)
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