Adil Boulbina’s late goal in extra time secured a tough victory over DR Congo, propelling Algeria into the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Played in on the left by fellow substitute Ramiz Zerrouki, Boulbina sped past a fatigued Aaron Wan-Bissaka, cut back inside, and fired an unstoppable right-footed shot that soared over goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi and struck the underside of the bar for the match’s sole goal.
The outcome, which keeps the Congolese still in search of their initial victory against Algeria, was tough on the Central Africans.
After battling through a closely matched game in Rabat, they seemed on the verge of a certain penalty shootout before Boulbina stepped in.
In a match with limited opportunities and strong defenses, France legend Zinedine Zidane was present once more to see his son Luca achieve a fourth clean sheet of the tournament for Les Fennecs.
With a stingy defense, the 2019 AFCON champions will believe they can hinder their high-scoring quarter-final rivals Nigeria when they clash in Marrakesh on Saturday (16:00 GMT).
The Congolese team and their French coach, Sebastien Desabre, entered this match with great optimism that 2026 might be an exceptional year for them.
After winning the African World Cup play-offs in November by defeating Cameroon and Nigeria, the Leopards need just one more victory—against either Jamaica or New Caledonia in the intercontinental play-off in March—to qualify for FIFA’s showcase tournament for the first time since 1974, when they participated as Zaire.
However, Desabre and his team will not achieve AFCON success, as they ended up in fourth place last time in Ivory Coast.
The opening phases at Stade Moulay El Hassan were frequently interrupted by referee Mohamed Eid Mansour’s whistle, as both teams battled intensely, with the Egyptian showing restraint by not issuing cards for a number of borderline fouls.
In an electric ambiance, with the crowded arena filled with the green and white of Algeria, the first loud cheer erupted 20 minutes in when ex-Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba edged the ball just past his own post after a powerful cross along the byline from Rafik Belghali, who was a lively presence moving forward from full-back to aid Riyad Mahrez on the right side.
Four minutes later, Cedric Bakambu found space by winning a header at midfield against Ramy Bensebaini, but the forward made the wrong choice by attempting a shot across goal rather than selecting a teammate.
Zidane deflected the ball for a corner, from which Axel Tuanzebe headed just off target.
Les Fennecs took a hit early in the second half when midfielder Ismael Bennacer had to leave due to injury, prompting both coaches to implement a continuous series of substitutions in search of the winning strategy to turn the game around.
This involved the exclusion of Mahrez, a four-time Premier League champion and his country’s all-time AFCON scorer with nine goals, yet his substitute, Anis Hadj Moussa, who excelled in Algeria’s 3-1 victory over Equatorial Guinea, also failed to leave an impression, apart from one powerful shot through a packed penalty area that Mpasi stopped with his body.
Mpasi also thwarted Mohamed Amoura, the leading scorer in African World Cup qualifying, as he outpaced Leopards captain Mbemba but couldn’t find the correct angle for his attempt.
The match went into extra time after a superb defensive header from the retreating Zineddine Belaid thwarted Fiston Mayele, who would have had an easy close-range opportunity to conclude the game in the 91st minute.
As extra time progressed and the chances of penalties increased, Mpasi executed two excellent saves in rapid succession, diving low to his right to thwart both Fares Chaibi and Baghdad Bounedjah.
However, there was nothing the keeper could do to prevent Boulbina’s goal, a shot deserving of clinching any match.
After not advancing from their group in the last two AFCON tournaments, Bosnian coach Vladimir Petkovic, who led Switzerland to Euro 2020’s quarter-finals, seems to have discovered the ideal mix of offensive creativity and defensive resilience to effectively utilize the undeniable skills present in the North Africans’ team.
Fueled by the collective enthusiasm of their devoted supporters, eager to secure a win on Moroccan ground and ruin the celebration for their fierce opponents, Petkovic’s squad will receive ample backing.
Algeria was among just two teams at this tournament to finish the group stage with a perfect record—the other being Nigeria, which defeated Mozambique 4-0 in their last-16 match and has netted 12 goals up to this point.
