Enterprising Cote d’Ivoire went home with heads bowed in spite of their champagne football. Unfortunately, struggling Algeria played their best football at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola on Sunday evening to make secure a 3-2 win.
Algeria will now meet the winners between Egypt and Cameroun in the Semi-finals on January 28, 2010.
Four minutes into the game the first thriller was unreashed by Chelsea’s striker, Salomon Kalou, who put the first strike through to give the Ivorians the lead. His feat thrilled the fans, but in the 40th Algeria secured the foremost equalizer when Karim Matmour struck thus the first half ended 1-1.
The real thrilling period which should be tagged thriller in Cabinda was in the second half, or better put few minutes to the end of the match. The Ivorians went up again in the 89 minutes as Kader Keita spectacularly slotted the ball home. The vicotyr dance did not last as Algeria drew level in stoppage time when Madjid Bougherra headed a second goal for the Desert Foxes.
Two minutes into extra time and Hameur Bouazza scored the fifth goal of the match, another goal from a header as he got on a Karim Ziani’s cross from the left.
The last goal in the encounter was all Desert Foxes’ needed to sent the Elephants away and berth at the semifinal of the Nations Cup for the first time since 1990 and the fifth time in the Cup history.
Other misses just added trauma to the Ivorians, even captain Didier Drogba in the
98th minute, muscled himself clear of the Algerian defence and went for goal unleashing a powerful shot from around 20 yards, but Chaouchi was up to the challenge and dived to his left to parry the ball down.
Kolo Toure scored what looked like a legitimate goal in optional time at the end of the game but the referees’ assistant wrongly ruled that he was in an off side position when he took possession of the ball. It was a sad night for Cote d’Ivoire’s.