Tasfaout eyes glory after disappointments

ALGIERS (Reuters) -- Abdelhafid Tasfaout competes in what is likely to be his final Nations Cup tournament hoping to improve on the disappointment of previous showings at the bi-annual continental championship.

At 32, the Algerian striker is nearing the end of his international career but is still the key element in his team's attack.

A consistent goal scorer for his country, Tasfaout was a substitute when Algeria crashed out of the 1992 finals and then missed the next two Nations Cups. Algeria were suspended from the 1994 tournament and he was injured in 1996.

His appearances in 1998 and 2000 have proven disappointing with Algeria failing to go further than the last eight.

Tasfaout, who hails from Oran, has been playing club football in France for the last six years, first with Auxerre and since the 1997-98 season at Guingamp.

His international career started a little too late for him to share in Algeria's glory years of more than a decade ago but he has gone onto become one of the country's most capped internationals and the captain of the team.

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