Debutants Somalia were off to a losing start at the ongoing U17 Africa Cup of Nations as they fell by two goals to hosts Algeria in the opening match Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers on Saturday night.The Ocean Stars qualified for the continental showpiece being one of the two finalists from the CECAFA U17 Championship where they went on to win the tournament, eliminating South Sudan who have since been booted out of the competition for age cheating.Captain Moslem Anatouf led from the front, literally, scoring twice as Algeria marked a perfect start in the competition.##NAJAVA_MECA_7217578##The Young Desert Foxes made the most of their home advantage to take an early lead in Group A against a Somali side that did well to prove its worth but were not clinical enough in front of goal.After a period of dominance in the opening exchanges, Algeria finally found the back of the net after 21 minutes courtesy of a defensive mistake from the Somali side.Anatouf brilliantly read a backpass from Abdilrahman Ahmed intended for the keeper, and the Algerian skipper intercepted, dribbled beyond the shot-stopper and broke the deadlock.On the other end, Somalia almost had a goal out of nothing when Abdilrahman tried his luck with a shot from distance, but the Algerian keeper Mastias Hammache made a great finger-tip save.Kenya U20 midfielder completes move to TaiwanAlgeria almost took a 2-0 lead to the break after a counter, but Shain Chetioui had his curling effort well saved by the goalkeeper.In the second half, the hosts needed just six minutes to double their tally, skipper Anatouf adding his second of the evening after sliding through at the near post to connect to a corner on the volley.Despite Somalia’s growth in confidence, enjoying possession and passing the ball around well as the game progressed, they were not clinical in the final third.The home side will now switch their attention to their second match of the group, a tougher assignment against Senegal next Tuesday, while Somalia will take on Congo.Additional reporting by CAF
