Substitute Hameur Bouazza
scored the decisive goal two
minutes into extra-time as
Algeria dumped pre-
tournament favourites Ivory
Coast out of the African
Nations Cup with a dramatic
victory in Cabinda.
In what was an impressive
display by Rabah Saadane's
team, they were twice forced
to come from behind having
trailed to a Salomon Kalou
strike and then a Kader Keita
effort at the death.
In between, Karim Matmour
scored an equaliser just
before half-time, before a
Madjid Bougherra header
took the tie into extra-time.
But Blackpool forward
Bouzza netted a dramatic
winner two minutes after
coming on to hand his side a
well-deserved win against
Vahid Halilhodzic's below par
Elephants.
It was a dramatic turnaround
after the Algerians looked
nervous through the opening
exchanges and fell behind
four minutes in.
Yaya Toure's shot was
deflected into the path of
Kalou on the right side of the
penalty area and the Chelsea
striker executed a low finish
beyond Faouzi Chaouchi at
the near post.
It continued to look easy for
the Elephants as Didier
Drogba had a penalty appeal
turned down - the referee
deemed Rafik Halliche's
sliding challenge a fair one.
The Algerians eventually
began to settle as the game
reached the 20-minute mark
and Boubacar Barry almost
gifted them a goal when his
attempt to make a routine
clearance was charged down
by Abdelkader Ghezzal only
for the ball to rebound wide.
More Algeria pressure
followed as the momentum
looked to have totally shifted
and, apart from occasional
tussles between Drogba and
Bougherra, the Algerians
took charge.
The pressure eventually told
five minutes before half-time
when a long ball from Antar
Yahia bounced loosely on the
edge of the Ivorian penalty
area, with Matmour forcing
his way in between two
defenders and finishing
emphatically with a strike
that took the upright before
going in.
That brought up half-time
and after a quiet restart, the
pace dramatically picked up
as the game approached the
hour mark.
First Matmour missed a
glorious chance to put the
Desert Hawks in front when
he blazed over from just
inside the box after
receiving a delightful pass
over the top from Mourad
Meghni.
There was a crucial moment
in the 68th minute when
Souleymane Bamba was
dispossessed by Matmour on
the edge of the penalty area,
but the Borussia
Monchengladbach midfielder
saw his shot excellently kept
out by Barry.
Saadane's men continued to
pile on the pressure, but
their west African opponents
were still a threat on the
break as Yaya Toure
illustrated with another shot
that forced a full length dive
from Chaouchi, but drifted
narrowly wide.
Five minutes from the end
and having just come on,
substitute Kader Keita led
another sweeping counter
attack with a pin-point pass
to Gervinho, but the Lille
forward blasted his effort
over.
The Galatasaray midfielder
then smashed in a 25-yard
screamer that went in off the
upright and looked to have
won the game with just a
minute to play.
Enter stoppage time and the
Algerians refused to give in.
A sweeping cross from the
left, along with sloppy
defending from the Ivorian
defence, allowed Bougherra
in and the Rangers defender
headed in powerfully.
The Elephants looked shell-
shocked and their opponents
took full advantage less than
two minutes into extra-time.
Bouazza, introduced after
the 90 minutes ended, was
left unmarked at the far post
and leapt high to nod in
Ziani's cross from the left to
put Algeria ahead for the
first time.
Their opponents tried to
respond with Drogba's fierce
18-yard shot somehow
blocked by Chaouchi, who
helped his side stay 3-2
ahead after 105 minutes.
Straight from the restart
there were chances aplenty
for the Algerians to kill off
the game as Ivory Coast
went for broke - Ghezzal
mis-hitting the best of the
chances in the form of a
virtual tap-in that seemed
almost impossible to miss.
At the other end, Bamba put
a goal-mouth scramble for
his side wide, while the final
attempt, which came to Kolo
Toure and was expertly
executed into the back of the
goal, was judged offside as
the tournament favourites
bowed out
March 22, 2010, 02:23:20 AM