Algeria qualifies for AFCON quarter-final
Algerian football player, Adil Boulbina
Algeria beat the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 on Tuesday to qualify for the quarter final of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), reports Africanews on 6th January.
The action packed match was held in Rabat and reached well into overtime and lasted almost two hours until the winning goal was scored by winger Adil Boulbina at the 119th minute. The Congolese team fought hard throughout the match but the Algerian side dominated the ball and left their defenders scrambling.
The Congolese supporter Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, who went viral for posing like former Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba, was present at the match. The supporter was posing with his arm outstretched where he stayed until half time, when he applauded his fellow supporters, and returned at the second half and shed tears at the end of the game.
Congo will play in the World Cup playoffs in March and face either New Caledonia or Jamaica, while Algeria, who have already qualified for the World Cup, continues into the AFCON quarter-finals and faces Nigeria in Marrakech.
Algeria, who won AFCON in 2019, originally made a bid to host for the years of 2025 and 2027 but withdrew their bid on September 26th 2024 in a letter sent to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), leaving Morocco’s bid uncontested. Regarding the withdrawal of their bid the Algerian Football Federation claimed that the federation “will now focus its efforts on the reorganisation and revitalisation of football in Algeria as well as reiterating its unwavering commitment to African football”.
This current AFCON has broken media records with 5,400 accreditation demands from international media outlets. This reflects the increase in popularity of African football on a global level as over three thousand, 800 journalists covering the competition as well as it being broadcast in all 54 African states and thirty European countries. This iteration of the competition has also broken attendance records with almost 110,000 tickets sold in France alone and close to 730,000 supporters attending the games so far.
Algeria will face Nigeria on Saturday 10th January after they beat Mozambique 4-0.
Africanews, Maghrebi.org
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