Algeria
Group C
Manager:
Rabah SaadaneStar Player:
Karim ZainiWorld Cup Appearances:
3Algeria overcame fierce rivals Egypt in a one-off play-off after both countries finished level on points at the top of their group.In the neutral venue of Sudan, Algeria triumphed by a solitary goal by defender Antar Yahia to advance to their third World Cup finals appearance.
Algeria Matches Fixtures World cup 2010 football:
Upon qualification, Algeria coach Rabah Saadane praised the commitment shown by his players.
The Desert Foxes have failed to get out of the group stages during their last two finals outings and they will need the same commitment they showed against Egypt to qualify for the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time in their history.
Team Profile:
AlgeriaAppearances at finals:
1982 - First round 1986 - First round
Overall record at finals: Played 6, Won 2, Drawn 1, Lost 3.
Best performance: First round in 1982 and 1986.
Most appearances at finals: Faouzi Mansouri (1982, 1986), Mahmoud Guendouz (1982, 1986), Rabah Madjer (1982, 1986) - 6.
Most goals at finals: Salah Assad (1982) - 2.
World Cup high: Beating European champions West Germany at Espana 82 in Gijon. Goals from Lahkdar Belloumi and Rabah Madjer provided one of the greatest shocks in the tournament's history.
World Cup low: The exit from the '82 tournament, which remains one of the greatest scandals of the modern game. In the final group games, West Germany and Austria cooked up a footballing Anschluss that took both teams through via a 1-0 German win. Algeria, despite beating Chile, exited in rage. Many German fans of a certain age still admit their embarassment about the affair.
World Cup legend: Midfielder Lakhdar Belloumi scored the winner against West Germany in 1982 and was singled out as a playmaker by Pele for his showings in 1982. He is also notorious for the ban he received for his involvement in a brawl that erupted during a 1990 qualifier with Egypt. An Egyptian doctor was injured by a broken bottle and Belloumi was accused. Only in 2009 was he cleared of the affair.
The story so far: Algeria looked capable of becoming the first African team to make the knockout stages in 1982 before the Austro-German scandal. The quality of their play had surprised many and the manner of their exit saw sympathy extended across the world. The scandal forced FIFA to play final group games simultaneously, though that was scant consolation to Les Fennecs (The Desert Foxes), who had beaten Chile 3-2 in their final game.
Four years later, they qualified for Mexico but found a tough group in their way. A draw with Northern Ireland in the first game saw Djamel Zidane (no relation) score their only goal of the finals. A narrow 1-0 defeat to Brazil gave cause for encouragement but Spain destroyed them 3-0 in Monterrey.
The brawl with Egypt in qualifying for 1990 came as a result of non-qualification for that tournament. It was to signal another 20 years in the World Cup wilderness.
Qualification: The exile was finally ended but it arrived via several twists and turns. The first qualifying group saw Senegal and Gambia held off before the final round drew them with sworn rivals Egypt. A 3-1 win against the Pharoahs put Algeria in the driving seat but the final match against the African champions in Cairo saw Egypt secure the 2-0 victory they needed to secure a supplementary play-off.
Sudan provided the neutral venue for another meeting between the two teams and Algeria shocked many observers by qualifying after a 1-0 win. Centre-back Anthar Yahia finished like a forward in crashing home a volley before half-time. The expected ructions did not take place and, from there, Algeria looked the better side in Khartoum and thus became deserved visitors to South Africa.
Qualifying record: P13, W8, D2, L3, F17, A8.
Most appearances:
Karim Ziani, Lounes Gaouaoui (12).Top goalscorers: Antar Yahia, Karim Ziani (3).
Algeria Squad for world cup football 2010 :
16 Fawzi Chaouchi Goalkeeper 1.92m 82 kg December 5, 1984
1 Lounes Gaouaoui Goalkeeper 1.88m 84 kg September 28, 1977
- Rais M'Bolhi Goalkeeper 1.90m 80 kg April 25, 1986
23 Mohamed Zemmamouche Goalkeeper 1.86m 82 kg January 2, 1985
3 Nadir Belhadj Defender 1.75m 67 kg June 18, 1982
- Habib Bellaid Defender 1.88m 80 kg March 28, 1986
2 Madjid Bougherra Defender 1.88m 89 kg October 7, 1982
5 Halliche Defender 1.87m 77 kg September 2, 1986
14 Abdelkader Laifaoui Defender 1.78m 69 kg July 9, 1981
- Carl Medjani Defender 1.84m 80 kg May 15, 1985
- Meftah Mohamed Rabie Defender 1.79m 74 kg May 5, 1985
4 Antar Yahia Defender 1.85m 79 kg March 21, 1982
22 Djamel Abdoun Midfielder 1.80m 65 kg February 14, 1986
- Ryad Boudebouz Midfielder 1.72m 59 kg February 19, 1990
- Adlène Guédioura Midfielder 1.83m 74 kg November 12, 1985
- Foued Kadir Midfielder 1.79m 68 kg December 5, 1983
- Medhi Lacen Midfielder 1.70m 72 kg February 5, 1984
- Hadj Aissa Lazhar Midfielder 1.75m 72 kg March 23, 1984
- Khaled Lemmouchia Midfielder 1.77m 75 kg May 29, 1981
6 Yazid Mansouri Midfielder 1.75m 69 kg February 25, 1978
13 Karim Matmour Midfielder 1.81m 72 kg June 25, 1985
20 Mourad Meghni Midfielder 1.80m 72 kg April 16, 1984
- Djamel Mesbah Midfielder 1.80m 75 kg October 9, 1984
- Hocine Metref Midfielder 1.68m 68 kg January 1, 1984
19 Hassan Yebda Midfielder 1.87m 80 kg May 14, 1984
15 Karim Ziani Midfielder 1.69m 66 kg August 17, 1982
- Chadlj Amri Forward 1.70m 78 kg December 14, 1984
- Rafik Djebbour Forward 1.85m 77 kg March 8, 1984
9 Abdelkader Ghezzal Forward 1.83m 78 kg December 5, 1984
10 Rafik Saïfi Forward 1.78m 72 kg February 7, 1975
Chances:Qualifiers for the third time after eliminating Africa's continental champions Egypt, Saadane's men are defensively solid and are unlikely to be on the end of any thrashings in South Africa. That said, qualification for the last 16 looks too much to ask.
