The Desert Foxes of Algeria joined Egypt and Nigeria to book a place in the knock stage of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations holding in Morocco.
The Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez inspired the Algerians to victory in a hard fought game that held so much for both teams before the last group game.
Mahrez buried a first-half penalty to seal a hard-fought 1-0 win over Burkina Faso on Sunday, sending the Desert Foxes into the Africa Cup of Nations last 16 with a game to spare.
In a bruising Group E showdown at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Mahrez’s 23rd-minute spot-kick proved enough.
Bundled over in the box, Rayan Aït-Nouri won the penalty, and Mahrez stepped up to deliver with trademark ice in his veins.
Algeria then did what champions do, they suffered, defended and survived.
The 2019 champions now have six points from two games, have yet to concede a goal and have underlined their status as one of the tournament favourites under Vladimir Petkovic.
Even defeat in their final group match against Equatorial Guinea cannot deny them a top-two finish.
This victory also carried a sense of redemption.
At the last AFCON in Ivory Coast, Algeria blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Burkina Faso, a result that helped send them crashing out at the group stage.
This time, there was no collapse. Just control.
Mahrez, fresh from a brace in the opening 3-0 win over Sudan, now has three goals at this tournament and nine AFCON goals overall, an Algerian record, in what is his sixth appearance at the finals.
Burkina Faso did not go quietly. Pierre Landry Kabore went close with a towering header before half-time, while substitute Georgi Minoungou flashed a late effort just wide as the Stallions pressed desperately for an equaliser.
Algeria had chances to kill the game. Ibrahim Maza spurned two good openings after the break, and Mohamed Amoura was denied by goalkeeper Hervé Koffi after a lightning counterattack.
Roared on by 18,522 fans, the Desert Foxes stood firm. Watching on was France great Zinedine Zidane, in the stands to see his son Luca keep goal for Algeria just as he did against Sudan.
One goal. One clean sheet. One statement made. Algeria is rolling and Mahrez is leading the charge.
