Algeria will play Nigeria in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after Adil Boulbina's superb strike one minute from the end of extra time settled a gruelling Round of 16 encounter with Democratic Republic of Congo in Rabat on Tuesday.
After 90 minutes failed to separate the sides, with the score locked at 0–0, the match went into extra time. Both teams appeared desperate to avoid a penalty shootout, throwing men forward in search of a winning goal.
It was the Fennec Foxes who found openings, twice. First, Fares Chaibi saw his low effort parried away by Lionel Mpasi in the DR Congo goal. From the second phase, Baghdad Bounedjah then scurried into the box, cut inside and aimed for the bottom-left corner, but Mpasi denied him again.
The breakthrough finally arrived one minute from the end of extra time. Substitute Boulbina picked up the ball on the edge of the box, cut inside and unleashed a ferocious shot that flew into the net off the underside of the crossbar.
For a player who had managed just 13 minutes of football at this AFCON prior to the match, it was a special moment. At full time, the 22-year-old Al Duhail forward was tossed into the air by his Algeria teammates in celebration.
Their reward is a quarter-final clash against Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Saturday (10 January), a repeat of the 2019 AFCON semi-final, which Algeria won 2–1.