Full-time: Algeria 3-0 Guinea
An excellent performance from Algeria: solid at the back, clever in midfield and incisive in attack. They’ll fancy their chances of beating Mali or Côte d’Ivoire - and anyone else besides.
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90+2 min M’Boli comes to flap at an aerial ball and Camara shoots fist time, but there are at least four defenders behind the keeper protecting the goalline and one of them blocks the ball clear. Algeria really, really want this.
90 min There’ll be three added minutes.
88 min Mandi bumps Kamano, conceding a free0kick 25 yards from goal. Guinea try to take it quickly, but the ref pulls them back and Camara picks out Bangoura in the middle of the box. The ball is slightly behind him, but he should still do better than head powerfully over the top.
86 min Koita finds space, right side of the box, and drills a shot-cum-cross towards the back post. Sliding in, Kamano can’t quite reach it.
85 min If Algeria maintain this level, they’re a hard night for anyone.
83 min Delort comes on for Bounedjah, who’s been desperate for a goal. It’s not happened for him, but he’s looked a threat all night and created space for others too.
GOAL! Algeria 3-0 Guinea (Ounas 82)
Just as we thought! Bennacer spreads wide to Atal, who crosses low and hard; Bounedjah pulls one man away, allowing Ounas to guide home a finish on the slide. That’s another lovely goal, as Barry Davies would have it.
81 min Change for Algeria: Boudaoui replaces Guediora.
80 min Guinea win a free-kick on the right, deep inside the Algeria half, which Camara bends wickedly towards the back post. Koita is up, but Benlarmi does brilliantly to head clear, punching the air and hollering thereafter.
78 min Final shy for Guinea: Kamano replaces Yattara.
77 min There’s not a whole lot coming to pass here.
76 min Ounas replaces Belaili. If Guinea leave space in behind, he might take advantage.
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73 min Diawara has a kick at Belaili because why not. Algeria are doing well to maintain equilibrium here.
72 min Bangoura runs towards the box and darts a ball through to Traore, who can’t control.
70 min Algeria have controlled this game really well; assuming they hang on, it’ll be their first knockout win since winning the trophy in 1990. You could do worse than whip through this.
68 min Another change for Guinea: Bangoura replaces Cisse.
66 min Bounedjah goes down the right and crosses for Mahrez, who should make it 3-0, except he’s too studied in his finish and hits it straight at Kone.
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65 min Yattara moves the ball into Koita, who immediately gives it away. He just didn’t know where his mates were likely to be, so guessed, and that’s a major difference between the sides.
63 min Sylla heaves a cross into the box, where Koita shoves Benlamri.
61 min Algeria stroke it about and look like they’ve a real chance of winning the competition. They’ve got a lot of guile in midfield and up front, some individual brilliance, and a solid defence - they’re still to concede a goal.
59 min I’ve no idea how Guinea even begin to think about considering how they might potentially come up with an idea for a plan about what to do to find a way that might allow them to ponder whether they can get out of this.
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GOAL! Algeria 2-0 Guinea (Mahrez 56)
That’s the difference! Class! Bensebani cuts in off the left and curves a lush pass over to Mahrez. His first touch is an erotic delight, caressing the ball into stride for his second, delivered after he adjusts his feet with little skip and leaning right with the ball punched left, as Kone dives the wrong way. That is brilliant, and Algeria are going through to the quarters!
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56 min Change for Guinea: Koita replaces Kante.
55 min Yattara finds Kamara who has Kante pegging into the box, but suddenly, from 25 yards out, he discharges a swirler that M’Boli shovels over the top. The corner comes to nothing, but that was Guinea’s best moment of the match - admittedly a low bar.
54 min Benlarmi brings the ball away and Kante lunges through him, earning a richly-deserved booking from a richly biceped ref.
52 min Bennacer runs across Cisse, who yanks him back. Guinea are getting away with a lot of cynical, momentum-taxing fouls.
51 min The problem for Guinea is that they appear scoobiless as to how they might score a goal.
50 min This half is a bit messy so far, which is good news for Guinea. And the longer they can keep it at 0-1, then more nervous Algeria have scope to become.
47 min Mahrez flights a pass over the top for Bounedjah and Dyrestam brainlessly knocks him over. I’m not certain it was in the box, but it was close ... and then an incorrect offside flag renders it irrelevant, Well played all round.
46 min Immediately, Algeria get their passing going again, then Guinea bring the ball away and Yattara steps on the ball.
46 min Off we go again.
Apparently some Guinea fans rushed towards the tunnel at half-time, to dispense some stern words of encouragement to the players. As you might imagine, the players were overjoyed by this development.
Back come the players. Guinea need to improve and Algeria need to do more with their possession.
Half-time entertainment:
Half-time: Algeria 1-0 Guinea
Algeria have been by far the better side, missing an easy chance and scoring a lovely goal. Guinea are hoping something’ll happen, more or less.
45+1 min Sylla, who’s been Guinea’s most significant threat, such that it is, batters through two challenges, stretches into the box, and flings himself to the floor. No penalty.
45 min There’ll be one added minute.
45 min Benlarmi brings the ball out so Kante dashes through him. Somehow, he avoids a booking - that was a far worse foul than the one for which Guediora was booked.
43 min Atal rushes forward down the right and finds Mahrez, who sort of treads on the ball after misreading its path along the bobbles. It’s not unamusing.
41 min Algeria knock it about. They’re one of the more confident and organised sides in the competition, I’d say. They have individuals able to alter the flow of things, but there’s also cohesion between them in general play.
39 min Bounedjah glides away from his man and looks to attack the box, then treads on the ball instead. You absolutely hate to see it.
38 min Bounedjah drifts right and finds Atal, whose cross is easily collected by Kone.
36 min Tell you what, this Guinea kit is a belter.
34 min Lovely from Bounedjah, coming deep to turn and feed Fegouli, dashing into space. He feeds Mahrez, whose first touch is glorious, taking him away from Diawara before he megs Falette, but Sylla does really well to race across and insert himself between man and ball.
33 min Belaili, inside his own box, tries to duck outside Sylla, pressing him, but loses the ball and dangles fingers into face. On the burst, Sylla goes down, but the ref says no penalty. Another that VAR might just’ve given; another that could do without being given.
31 min Dyrestam nashes down the right and humps over a cross towards the back post, seeking Yattara. But Atal is there to put him off, and Algeria bring the ball away.
30 min Guinea are getting a fair amount of the ball, but doing very little with it.
29 min Guediora into Feghouli, who beds a ball between Bounedjah and Kone ... Bounedjah might get it, but inexplicably checks his run.
27 min Algeria are much quicker too and off the ball - the decision to rest most of his first XI for the final group game is working out well.
26 min Belaili has been excellent so far.
GOAL! Algeria 1-0 Guinea (Belaili 24)
This is very nice, Belaili moving the ball into Bounedjah and running off him as Seka daydreams. He accepts the return and passes a deceptively easy-looking finish into the far corner, ball nuzzling betwen net and stanchion for extra artistic merit!
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23 min Algeria force consecutive corners and when the second winds up with Belaili, he curls to the back post where Bounedjah sends an overhead kick over the top.
20 min Aaaarrrggghhh! Guediora swings a lovely ball over the top for Bounedjah, who brings it down beautifully, before opening his body to slot home, before punching over the bar from eight yards. That is very silly behaviour.
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20 min Guinea are slinging too many long balls at Kante, but are playing pretty well otherwise.
17 min Guediora, on a yellow card, slides throug someone – I think it was Diawara – and somehow avoids a repeat performance.
17 min Guinea move it nicely through midfield, but Yattara then tries to waltz around two men and Benlamri mops up.
15 min Algeria need to move the ball quicker and get men forward in larger numbers.
14 min Mandi bumps Kante as the contest a high ball so the ref books Guediora, who was also there.
13 min A long ball over the top finds Bounedjah and he contrls, takes a touch, and rifles a riser inside the neat post. The ref reckons Falette stepped up in time but I’m not at all sure.
12 min Incidentally, from the quarters onwards, VAR will be with us. Chauette!
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11 min Bennacer and Kante contest am aerial ball inside the box, the latter wearing the forearm of the former. There’s little remiss, but VAR would probably give a penalty on review.
10 min Bennacer into Belaili so Falette charges in to swipe him, doing well to avoid a card.
9 min This game is yet to settle. Algeria need to get Feghouli on the ball.
7 min Mahrez runs away as Belaili taps for Guediora; he slashes a drive that’s wide and plenty.
6 min Mahrez runs past Camara, who blooters him because he can’t resist the opportunity; that’s a yellow card and a free-kick from 25 yards, almost dead centre. Or “Mahrez territory”, as it’s also known.
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4 min Nice from Sylla, dashing down the left and exchanging passes with Traore and Camara. He runs out of position, so Bensebaini shepherds back to M’Boli, who flicks behind his own leg ... and is robbed by Kante! But the ball runs kindly for Algeria and they clear.
3 min CAF need to find a way of getting more supporters into these games. They should insist that spares are distributed at local schools or somesuch.
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2 min Belaili takes the kick himself, curling towards the back post. Mandi is up, but he can’t quite get his head to it.
2 min Traore hauls down Belaili, giving Algeria a chance to curl a ball into the box from the left, 25 yards out.
1 min Off we go!
I should note that Naby Keita is missing for Guinea. He’s injured.
Police confirmed that Naby Keita's family home in Guinea was besieged by a mob last month. They were venting their frustration at one of his relatives who they believed had performed witchcraft, affecting the Liverpool star's Nations Cup performances & causing his recent injuries pic.twitter.com/pWRpS9wQKr
— Babatunde Koiki (@BabatundeKoiki) July 3, 2019
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The Algerian team and fans properly have it.
Ah, unbeknownst to us, the players have come out. It’s footballers singing out of tune time.
I wonder how daring Algeria will be tonight. On the one hand, they want an open game; on the other, they don’t want to be caught on the counter. In tournament football, teams tend to eliminate risk, but in this match I’d expect that to be a leveller.
“I’ll have you know that Gradel single handedly kept a terrible Toulouse team in Ligue 1,” emails Alexandre Chesneau. “Could Zaha do it on a rainy night in Amiens ? That’s what I thought.”
I look forward to Arsenal signing him when it turns out that they can’t, in fact, get Zaha for £25 and a set of tracksuits.
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The players run over to their fans - they are absolutely buzzing - while Bolasie wipes sodium chloride and H20 from his eyes.
This is amazing from Madagascar, making their first appearance in the competition! First, they diddle Nigeria to win the group, and now this!
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Madagascar beat DRC 4-2 on penalties! They play Ghana or Tunisia in the quarter-finals!
Bolasie swipes over the bar in woeful fashion!
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Madagascar 4-2 DRC
Mombris sees the keeper go, so sweeps into the middle of the goal. If Yannick Bolasie misses, DRC are out!
Madagascar 3-2 DRC
M’Poku goes down the middle and gets away with, it just.
Madagascar 3-1 DRC
Fontaine does Ngumbi with the eyes, sweeping across him into the side-netting.
Madagascar 2-1 DRC
Bakambu sidefoots firmly and finds the side-netting roughly halfway up.
Madagascar 2-0 DRC
Metanire punches home, sending Ngumbi the wrong way.
Madagascar 1-0 DRC
Tisserand leans back, picks his spot, and curls his kick over the bar!
Madagascar 1-0 DRC
Amada scores for Madagascar!
Madagascar and DRC will shortly shred their nerves and risk their reputations for our delectation.
Looking at the draw, things have opened up very nicely for Senegal; Benin followed by one of the teams below looks a pretty generous route to the final. The bottom half of the draw, though, is harder to unravel. Côte d’Ivoire have the strongest squad, but probably not the strongest team; currently, Wilfried Zaha is being kept out of it by Max Gradel. Yes, I know. They could easily lose to Mali tomorrow and then play tonight’s winners; Nigeria will probably beat South Africa in the other quarter.
Word to the wise: Madagascar and DRC are locked at 2-2 with five minutes of extra-time remaining. It’s been a really good game, and one which deserves to be settled by the test of skill under pressure lottery that is a penalty shoot-out. The winners play Ghana or Tunisia next.
As for Guinea, they make two changes: up front, Kante replaces Kaba, and behind him, Camara replaces Kamano.
So Algeria revert to what is now, undoubtedly, their first XI, and the one which beat Senegal – there’s no place for Ounas. I actually think it might be more of a 4-1-4-1 than a 4-3-3, with Guediora in front of the back four, but we’ll see.
Or, put another way:
#LesVerts #TeamDZ #Lesfennecs #123VivaLAlgerie #TotalAFCON2019 #ALGGUI pic.twitter.com/cX97uMc2Qy
— Les Verts d'Algérie (@LesVerts) July 7, 2019
Teams!
Algeria (4-3-3): M’Bolhi; Atal, Mandi, Benlamri, Bensebaini; Guedioura, Bennacer, Feghouli; Mahrez, Bounedjah, Belaili.
Guinea: (4-2-3-1): Kone; Dyrestam, Seka, Falette, Sylla; Cisse, Diawara; Yattara, Camara, Traore; Kante.
Preamble
Algeria qualified for this stage by beating Kenya, Senegal and Tanzania; Guinea qualified for this stage by drawing with Madagascar, losing to Nigeria and beating 10-man Burundi. Which is to say that it’s fairly obvious what’s going to happen tonight ... except this is football, and nothing is ever obvious. Just ask Egypt.
Quite how Guinea stop Algeria, though, is open to question. If they sit back, they allow Riyad Mahrez, Ismaël Bennacer and Sofiane Feghouli to dominate possesion, and pick passes into the box; if they push on, Mahrez, Bennacer and Feghouli still dominate possession, and slide passes in behind. There’ve been better choices.
Chances are, Guinea pursue the former method and hope they can hold out, which might encourage Djamel Belmadi to retain Adam Ounas. He got a run out in the final group game and scored twice; his game-breaking quality might be useful tonight.
Kick-off: 8pm BST, 9pm local time.
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