CAF GROUP C TIE-BREAKING PLAY-OFF:ALGERIA QUALIFIED for the World Cup for the first time since 1986 with a disciplined if patchy display, in a match as testy as it was tense.
Antar Yahia’s winner emphasised the commitment to attack the Algerians have shown throughout qualifying: the scorer was a right-back on a far from unusual foray.
“We played good football throughout the qualifiers and we showed great fair play,” said Algeria’s coach, Rabah Saadane. “I want to thank the supporters – it is an immense joy to have qualified for the World Cup for them.”
Thousands of fans had gathered in the ground hours before kick-off. Almost all the seats allocated to Sudanese seemed to have been filled by men in the Algerian green-white-red colours, or others wearing the Egyptian flag.
Each side had accused the other of provoking violent incidents in Cairo and Algeria in the run-up to the game. Stones were thrown at the Algerian team bus before the group game in Cairo last week and several players were injured.
As many as 32 people may have been hurt in clashes there.
In response, Algerians ransacked Egyptian-owned businesses in Algiers. But the presence of some of the 15,000 police officers on duty inside and outside the ground seemed to calm some of the pre-match anger.
All the same, it took less than five minutes for the first flare-up between the players. Nadir Belhadj, who had already been booked, rushed to confront the Egyptians after a tough tackle. Players milled around but there was more posturing than real purpose. In that, the incident mirrored the early going.
Algeria had the better of the play, led by Mourad Meghni and Karim Ziani. Their best early chance fell to Yahia but his firm shot was pushed away by the Egyptian goalkeeper, Essam el-Hadary.
Egypt’s most telling first-half moments came on the counter-attack through Amr Zaki and Emad Meteab. But the man who makes Egypt tick, playmaker Mohamed Aboutrika, was strangely out of sorts. The wing-back Sayed Moawad’s clever cross found him alone in the area but the veteran’s volley drifted wide.
Algeria’s goal, when it came, was spectacular. Ziani played Yahia through on the right and this time the defender’s volley was too good for Hadary.
The Algerian fans let off orange flares, perhaps not the security risk the police had been expecting.
Egypt’s coach, Hassan Shehata, sent on midfielder Hosni Abd Rabo and striker Mohamed Zidan at half-time. Abd Rabo’s first contribution was a pinpoint free-kick, which the defender Abdel Zaher el-Saka could only head over.
But Egypt were soon cut apart by the best move of the match. Hassan Yebda curved a perfect cross and Abdelkader Ghezzal’s header was firm but straight at Hadary’s feet. The Algeria striker collapsed to the floor in dismay at his miss.
Egypt were invigorated and, as Algeria sat back, the Pharaohs created a succession of chances. Zidan tricked his way into the area but Meteab could not find the finish the preparation deserved. Aboutrika, too, misplaced a header and Algeria’s goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi saved bravely when his defence exposed him.
Shehata played his last card, taking off a defender for a midfielder. But it was not enough and the Algerian fans swarmed on to the pitch to mob their triumphant players.
Meanwhile, two-time winners Nigeria will not be among the top-tier teams in tomorrow’s draw for the African Cup of Nations.
Instead, defending champions Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and hosts Angola will be the top-seeded teams.
Tunisia, Ghana and Mali are in Pot Two alongside Nigeria, who last won the competition in 1994. Pot Three contains Zambia, Benin, Algeria and Togo while Pot Four is made up of Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Gabon and Malawi.
ALGERIA: Chaouchi, Bougherra, Belhadj, Yahia (Zaoui 68), Halliche, Ziani, Meghni (Matmour 58), Mansouri, Yebda, Saifi (Ghilas 84), Ghezzal. Booked: Belhadj, Ghezzal, Ziani, Yebda.
EGYPT: El Hadari, Al-Muhammadi, El Sakka, Said, Gomaa, Moawad, Fathi (Zidan 46), Aboutreika, Hassan, Moteab, Zaki (Abd Rabou 46). Booked: Gomaa, Hassan, Abd Rabou.
Referee: E Maillet (Seychelles).
African countries at the finals
Algeria Ghana
CameroonNigeria
Côte d’IvoireSouth Africa
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