Madagascar coach Romuald Rakotondrabe expressed his satisfaction after a 0-0 warm-up draw with Niger, the latest practice match for the COSAFA nation ahead of their African Nations Championship (CHAN) debut in Algeria.

The Malagasy have been preparing in Tunisia but will head to Algeria for their tournament opener against Ghana on Sunday. They will then meet Morocco (Jan. 19) and Sudan (Jan. 23) in their other Group C games.

Rakotondrabe was left to rue some missed chances against Niger, but says he is overall satisfied with the performance.

“It is better to have missed opportunities than not create them,” he told reporters. “There is still haste in the last shot and we can’t (find composure) in front of goal.

“We corrected a lot of things (from a 1-0 friendly loss to Congo). The boys applied the instructions well. We didn’t concede a goal and we were strong defensively.

“Psychologically, it is important. Certainly, there are always details to correct. But I am confident that we will be able to do this during the CHAN.”

Madagascar join fellow COSAFA sides Angola and Mozambique in the pool stages of the competition that is reserved for home-based players only.