By Oni Ladonette Ondesa
Journalist kick442.com – Cameroon
They say tournament football is a game of patience, but this was a test of the soul. For 118 minutes, the Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat played host to a brutal, exhausting chess match that seemed destined for the lottery of a penalty shootout. Instead, it was settled by the cruellest of late interventions.
Adil Boulbina, a man who had only been on the pitch for six minutes, found the top corner with the clinical precision of a veteran to snatch a 1–0 victory for Algeria, ending DR Congo’s defiant resistance in the most agonising fashion imaginable.
From the first whistle, this was a contest defined by the sound of clashing shins rather than the rhythm of passing. Algeria, lacking their usual North African swagger, found themselves dragged into a physical dogfight by a Congolese side that refused to yield an inch of grass.
The Leopards will wonder how they didn’t lead at the break. Cédric Bakambu’s 33rd-minute header from Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross sailed wide when he should have hit the target, while Axel Tuanzebe saw his own header flash past the post from Théo Bongonda’s corner in the 26th minute as Congo exploited set-piece opportunities.
Algeria’s evening took a turn for the worse just after the interval when Ismaël Bennacer, the heartbeat of their midfield, limped off in the 49th minute. Deprived of their chief orchestrator, the Fennec Foxes looked toothless, relying on the individual industry of Mohamed Amoura to relieve mounting pressure.
As the match spilled into extra time, the narrative belonged to Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi. He looked destined to be the hero of the night, producing a logic-defying double save in the 111th minute.
First, he parried a close-range effort from Farès Chaïbi. Then, as Baghdad Bounedjah looked certain to convert the rebound from the left side of the box, Mpasi somehow recovered to smother the ball at his near post.
A decisive strike sealed it all. 🇩🇿
Boulbina is the TotalEnergies Man of the Match. 🌟
At that moment, momentum felt firmly with the Leopards. The Congolese bench was already preparing their notes for the shootout, and the Algerian fans had fallen into a nervous, expectant silence.
Then came the 119th minute. With the clock ticking toward 120, Ramiz Zerrouki, another late tactical introduction, found a pocket of space and fed Boulbina on the left edge of the box.
The substitute didn’t hesitate. He took one touch to set himself and unleashed a curling right-footed effort that defied the fatigue around him. It was a goal of pure technical beauty in a match defined by industrial grit. The ball arced beyond the despairing dive of Mpasi and nestled into the top right corner.
DR Congo threw everyone forward in the dying seconds, but the Algerian defence, led by the bloodied but unbowed Ramy Bensebaini, held firm through three minutes of added time. Baghdad Bounedjah picked up a cynical yellow card for time-wasting, but by then the job was done.
For the Leopards, it is a devastating exit after a performance of immense tactical discipline. For Algeria, it is a great escape that keeps their quest for continental glory alive, albeit with a squad now carrying the physical scars of a truly bruising encounter.
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