This Tuesday, the Algerians brought down DR Congo in overtime and qualified for the quarter-finals of CAN 2025.
At the end of the line. Algeria qualified on Tuesday for the quarter-finals of CAN-2025 by eliminating DR Congo (1-0) at the end of an unbreathable overtime thanks to a goal from Adil Boulbina in the 119th minute.
The Fennecs of coach Vladimir Petkovic will face Nigeria in the next round, easy winner of Mozambique on Monday (4-0). Perhaps without their central midfielder Ismael Bennacer, who was injured after 48 minutes of play, apparently injured in the hamstring of his right thigh.
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The adventure therefore continues for the Algerians, with a statistic that allows them the sweetest dreams: they left the group stage with three victories in three matches. This is the third time this has happened to them after 1990 and 2019. And the first two times, they lifted the trophy on the evening of the final. They snatched victory at the last minute. Launched against the left, Boulbina hooked to clear Aaron Wan-Bissaka and, from the edge of the area, placed a perfect right-handed shot into the opposite corner (1-0, 119th).
In this poster against the DR Congo, on paper the toughest of the 8th, Algeria had possession. The Congolese, low block and intense pressing, placed banderillas. Between these two teams who feared each other and showed great tactical rigor, it would have taken an individual error, or a personal exploit, to unlock the score earlier. But now, the Fennecs of coach Vladimir Petrovic, like the Leopards of Frenchman Sébastien Desabre, did not give up for almost two hours. And the two goalkeepers, Luca Zidane for Algeria and Lionel Mpasi-Nzau for Congo, did the rest to preserve their cages.
The first period was a very long round of observation. The Fennecs even waited until the 42nd minute to place their first shot, off target, by their 20-year-old nugget Ibrahim Maza. The game accelerated and the intensity increased a notch in the second period. Chancel Memba (50th), Joris Kayembe (74th), Ibrahim Mayle (90+2) had their chance for the DRC, Mohamed Amoura (79th) and Anis Hadj Moussa (86th) for Algeria came up against the Congolese goalkeeper.
But the referee whistled the end of regulation time with the score 0-0. In overtime, neither team closed the game. Algeria first got a superb opportunity through Fares Chaibi, who forced Mpasi-Nzau to make a reflex save on his line (110th). Nine minutes later, Boulbina propelled the Fennecs into the African top-8.
