Algeria knocked out of CAN 2012

While Algeria's shot at the African Cup of Nations is now gone, Libya's national team racked up their first victory under the independence flag.

By Abdou Tadjeddine for Magharebia in Algiers – 05/09/11

Algeria drew 1-1 with Tanzania on Saturday (September 3rd) in Dar es Salaam, ending the Greens' hopes at qualifying for next round of the 2012 African Cup of Nations (CAN).

The Algerian national team led by Vahid Halilhodzic performed better than in recent games, despite having suffered physically. But it wasn't enough to overcome the Tanzanians.

"We really wanted to achieve victory, which would have strengthened our slim chances of qualifying," Halilhodzic said after the match. "Despite our disqualification by a large margin, I think that there were some positive points in the game, such as the improved performance of the players and the return of some confidence, which will help us in the future."

The Greens performed well in the first 15 minutes of the match, reminding fans of their game against Morocco. However, the Algerian team couldn't take advantage of scoring opportunities, with Karim Matmour missing twice. A third chance was lost when Nadir Belhadj passed the ball to Karim Benyamina when he could have struck.

The Fennecs made one mistake in the 23rd minute, after a cross by Nizar Khalfan towards Mbwana Samatta, where the bad positioning of Rais M'bolhi and the lack of cover by Abdelkader Laifaoui enabled Samatta to score the opening goal in front of loud cheers in the stands.

Despite that, the Algerian national team did not give up. Coach Halilhodzic made changes, putting in striker Hameur Bouazza, who managed to score the equalizer in the 53rd minute. The offensive waves continued on both sides, as a draw would not serve either of the two teams.

The Tanzanians nearly scored a second goal if not for the successful intervention of goalkeeper M'bolhi. Meanwhile, the Algerian team were unable to make use of several opportunities, including Ghezzal's pass to Matmour during stoppage time and finally Matmour's strike that was saved by the Tanzanian goalkeeper. The game ended with a draw, making both the Algerian and Tanzanian teams disqualify from the competition by a large margin.

In other CAN action on Saturday, Libya's national team defeated Mozambique 1-0 in Cairo. The match was the first for the team since Kadhafi was forced from Tripoli and the first under the independence flag. Rabie el-Lafi scored the lone match goal in the 30th minute with a pass from teammate Mohamed Al-Mughrabi. Libya will next face Zambia in October.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/articles/2011/09/05/feature-04.