Algeria’s coach mulls Q-Final showdown with Eagles

Algeria head coach Vladimir Petkovic praised his team for a professional performance after beating DR Congo 1-0 (AET) in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 on Tuesday.

The Fennecs enjoyed 59 per cent of the possession at the Moulay Hassan Stadium, but they struggled to really threaten the Leopards’ goal in the first half before creating a few decent chances in the second 45 minutes.

Following 90 minutes of goalless football, the game went to extra time and the crowd looked to be preparing themselves for penalties when Adil Boulbina scored the winning goal in the 119th minute.

Petkovic had been forced to make an early change in the second stanza after Ismael Bennacer sustained what appeared to be a muscular injury and was replaced by Himad Abdelli,

But the Bosnian hailed his players for overcoming the challenges on the evening, including the heat in Rabat to keep their title hopes alive as they booked a quarter-final date with Nigeria.

“I believe we deserved to win based on what our players delivered, and I thank them for that,” Petkovic said in the post-match press conference.

“We controlled two-thirds of the match and played good football, even though we faced some challenges during the game. “We played well as a group, dominated the match, overcame difficulties, scored a goal and managed to win and qualify.

“I think we managed the match professionally. Qualifying was important, and now we will think about the next match against Nigeria.”