Algeria have turned recent international friendlies into a defensive masterclass. Five matches, five clean sheets, and an expected goals against figure of just 0.23 per game. That's a level of control that borders on the absurd in friendly football, where rotations and experiments typically loosen structures.
The number tells the story: opponents have mustered almost nothing. Across 450 minutes of football, Algeria have kept the door locked while generating barely a sniff for those in front of them. Whether through disciplined shape, individual excellence or simple dominance of possession, the Fennec Foxes have turned warm-up fixtures into exercises in suffocation.
More than luck
Expected goals conceded offers a window beyond the final score. At 0.23 per match, Algeria aren't simply riding a hot goalkeeper or riding out late chances. They are denying opponents quality looks altogether, limiting entries into dangerous zones and keepingshots to low-value attempts from distance or tight angles.
International friendlies can flatter, of course. The opposition varies, rotations happen, and intensity dips. But the consistency across five matches suggests something more structural than circumstantial. Algeria's defensive unit has found a rhythm, and the numbers underline what the scoreline confirms: right now, nothing is getting through.