Adil Boulbina’s goal deep into extra time was enough to settle a hard-fought encounter against DR Congo, sending Algeria into the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
Played in down the left by fellow substitute Ramiz Zerrouki, Boulbina outpaced a tired-looking Aaron Wan-Bissaka, cut back inside and unleashed an unstoppable right-footed drive that whipped over goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi and went in off the underside of the bar for the only goal of the game.
The result, which leaves the Congolese still looking for their first win over Algeria, was harsh on the Central Africans.
Having competed throughout an even contest in Rabat they looked to have earned themselves what appeared an inevitable penalty shootout before Boulbina’s intervention.
In a game of few chances, with defences well on top, France idol Zinedine Zidane was once again in attendance to watch his son Luca keep a fourth clean sheet of the tournament for Les Fennecs.
With such a miserly rearguard, the 2019 Afcon champions will fancy their chances of styming their free-scoring quarter-final opponents Nigeria when they meet in Marrakesh on Saturday (16:00 GMT).
The Congolese and their French coach Sebastien Desabre came into this game with high hopes that 2026 could be an extraordinary year for them.
Having won November’s African World Cup play-offs, seeing off Cameroon and Nigeria, the Leopards are just one win away – against either Jamaica or New Caledonia in March’s intercontinental play-off – from reaching Fifa’s showpiece event for the first time since 1974 when they competed as Zaire.
But there will be no Afcon glory for Desabre and his men, who finished fourth last time out in Ivory Coast.
The early stages here in the Stade Moulay El Hassan were constantly broken up by referee Mohamed Eid Mansour’s whistle as both sides competed hard, with the Egyptian generous in keeping his cards in his pocket for a series of borderline challenges.
In a crackling atmosphere, with the packed stadium dominated by the green and white of Algeria, the first raucous cheer came 20 minutes in when former Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba turned the ball just wide of his own post following a drilled delivery along the byline from Rafik Belghali, who was an energetic threat getting forward from full-back to support Riyad Mahrez down the right flank.
Four minutes later, Cedric Bakambu set himself clear by winning a header on halfway against Ramy Bensebaini, but the striker took the wrong option in choosing to shoot across goal instead of trying to pick out a team-mate.
Zidane turned the ball away for a corner, from which Axel Tuanzebe planted a header just wide.
Les Fennecs suffered a blow early in the second half when midfielder Ismael Bennacer was forced off with injury, and from that point on both coaches made a steady stream of changes in the hope of finding the magic formula to unlock the contest.
That included the removal of four-time Premier League winner Mahrez, his nation’s record Afcon scorer with nine goals, but his replacement Anis Hadj Moussa, the star of Algeria’s 3-1 win against Equatorial Guinea, was also unable to make his mark, other than one fizzing drive through a crowded penalty area that Mpasi saved with his body.
Mpasi also denied Mohamed Amoura, the top scorer in African World Cup qualifying, after he left Leopards captain Mbemba trailing in his wake but failed to work the right angle for his shot.
And the game was sent into extra time after a brilliant defensive header from the backpedalling Zineddine Belaid denied Fiston Mayele what would have been a simple close-range chance to settle things in the 91st minute.
As extra time ticked on, and penalties became more and more likely, Mpasi made two good saves in quick succession, in both cases diving low to his right to deny first Fares Chaibi and then Baghdad Bounedjah.
But there was nothing the keeper could do about Boulbina’s goal, a strike worthy of winning any game.
Having failed to make it out of their group at the past two editions of Afcon, Bosnian coach Vladimir Petkovic, who guided Switzerland to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020, looks to have found the right blend of attacking guile and defensive stubbornness to once again harness the undoubted talent in the North Africans’ squad.
Driven on by the massed ranks of their passionate fans, who will be desperate to claim victory on Moroccan soil and spoil the party of their bitter rivals, Petkovic’s men will not be short of support.
Algeria were one of only two teams at this tournament to come out of the group stage with a 100% record – but the other was Nigeria, who thumped Mozambique 4-0 in their last-16 tie and have scored 12 goals so far.
Having overcome difficult opponents in the form of the Congolese, Algeria will have to retain their own stubborn streak in Marrakesh.
