São Paulo – Algeria has tied 1 – 1 against Russia late this Thursday afternoon (26th) at Arena da Baixada, in Curitiba, the capital of the state of Paraná. The North African national team has finished second in Group H, after Belgium, and will now play Germany in the round of sixteen. It has been an unprecedented feat: the Algerians had never moved on to the second phase of the World Cup before.
Making it to the round of sixteen was Algeria’s main goal in the tournament, the Algerian Football Federation chairman Mohamed Raouraoua had told ANBA three days prior to the beginning of the event in Brazil.
After losing their first match to Belgium 2 – 1 com, the dream seemed distant, but hopes were sparked by a landslide 4 – 2 victory against South Korea.
This Tuesday, the Algerians became fearful as Alexander Kokorin scored a goal for Russia six minutes into the first half. In the second half, however, Islam Slimani evened the score and ensured the team’s position in the next phase.
The Algerian national team is the sole Arab team in the contest, and is playing its fourth World Cup. The team took part in the 1982, 1986 and 2010 Cups, and its best performance to date had been its first, when it beat West Germany 2 -1 and Chile 3 – 2, and lost to Austria 2 – 0. Algeria and Austria scored the same number of points, but the latter scored more goals.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
