By Angu Lesley
Football writer kick442.com – Cameroon
African sides continued to make strong statements ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Algeria claiming a famous victory over the Netherlands, while Nigeria and DR Congo earned respectable draws against European opposition on Wednesday.
Algeria produced the standout result of the day, defeating the Netherlands 1-0 in Rotterdam. After frustrating the Dutch for much of the encounter with disciplined defending, the Fennecs struck late through Anis Hadj Moussa, whose superb curling effort in the 86th minute sealed a memorable victory. The result provides a significant boost for Vladimir Petkovic’s side as they head into their first World Cup campaign since 2014.
Nigeria also showed resilience in Warsaw, battling to a 2-2 draw against Poland. Moses Simon opened the scoring for the Super Eagles before the hosts responded through Kacper Potulski. Paul Onuachu’s second-half penalty looked set to hand Nigeria victory, but Przemysław Wiśniewski struck deep into stoppage time to rescue a draw for Poland.
Meanwhile, World Cup-bound DR Congo held Denmark to a goalless draw in Belgium. The Leopards stood firm against sustained Danish pressure, with both sides creating chances but failing to find a breakthrough. The result extends Sébastien Desabre’s preparations on a positive note as the Congolese continue building confidence ahead of their historic return to the World Cup stage after more than five decades.
The trio of results underline the growing competitiveness of African football on the global stage, with Algeria securing a headline-grabbing win and both Nigeria and DR Congo proving capable of matching strong European opponents in crucial World Cup warm-up matches.
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