Mahrez And Algeria Suffer Quarter-Final Defeat

A double from Manchester City’s Wilfried Bony – who Mahrez could well come up against when Nigel Pearson’s men travel to the Etihad Stadium in the Barclays Premier League in early March – put the Ivory Coast into a 2-1 lead in Malabo either side of Hilal Soudani’s equaliser.
Despite Algeria coming close to a second goal which could have taken the tie into extra-time, it was former Arsenal forward Gervinho who sealed the victory for the Ivory Coast with a strike in injury time.
Mahrez played a key role in the Fennecs’ previous game, on Tuesday to set up a last-eight tie with the Elephants, who beat Cameroon 1-0 at the same stage on Wednesday.
Bony gave the Ivory Coast the lead halfway through the first half when he headed in a cross from Leicester Academy graduate Max Gradel, but Mahrez helped drag his side level early in the second.
The dangerous City winger exchanged cleverly with Soudani, squaring for the Dinamo Zagreb forward to equalise.
Ivory Coast restored their lead on 68 minutes. Captain Yaya Toure curled a free-kick into Manchester City teammate Bony, who headed in his second goal of the game to make it 2-1 to the men in orange.
Mahrez, who put in another tireless performance for his country, exited the action on 70 minutes as striker Ishak Belfodil replaced City’s No. 26.
With the Desert Warriors pushing for an equaliser, it was Gervinho who struck at the other end in injury time to the send his nation through.
The Ivory Coast face the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last-four of the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday, while Ghana play Equatorial Guinea in the other semi-final on Thursday.
Mahrez will now return to Leicester ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash with Crystal Palace at King Power Stadium.