He hadn’t laced up his cleats just before entering the game, but that was far from saying he wasn’t ready for what happened next. In the 113th minute, Adil Boulbina arrived on the Rabat lawn to bring his liveliness to the left lane. Ultimately, his shooting quality liberated the Fennecs, rather than his dribbling quality. Six minutes after his appearance, the Al-Duhail player placed a sublime strike into the Congolese top corner to send Algeria to the quarter-finals of the 2025 African Cup of Nations (1-0).
After three victories in the group stage, Vladimir Petkovic’s players struggled against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the round of 16. The Algerians took advantage of the technique of their midfielders to confiscate the ball at the start of the game. They accelerated by exploiting the right lane to the point that Rafik Belghali almost forced Chancel Mbemba to score against his side upon receiving a vicious cross (21st).
Under the eyes of Zinedine Zidane
Opposite, Axel Tuanzebe came very close to becoming the first to score in front of Luca Zidane, under the eyes of his parents, but his header only grazed the right post of the Algerian goalkeeper (26th). This occasion marked the end of Algerian domination. The Fennecs played too slowly to worry the Leopards.
The entry into play of more explosive or more creative profiles combined with the fatigue of the Congolese players have loosened the opposing lines. Panic encrusted the DRC surface in the 86th minute, but Lionel Mpasi recovered after a catastrophic aerial exit.
The Algerian public trembled at a center carefully defended by Zineddine Belaïd. Another Zinedine was present in the stands of the Prince Moulay El Hassan stadium with his wife Véronique to watch Luca’s performance. The latter displayed more serenity than his Congolese counterpart. Mpasi let several balls escape before making two decisive saves in overtime. He was unable to do anything about the feat of Boulbina, who met Nigeria in the quarter-finals.
