Algeria moved on to the Africa Cup of Nations after a late goal from substitute Boulbina. He worked with Zerrouki before cutting inside and scoring a stunning shot into the top corner.
This was the 22-year-old’s first goal for Algeria and a crucial goal that helped his team reach the tournament quarter-finals, where they will face Nigeria on Friday.
In a tense match that ended goalless in regular time, Boulbina scored the winning goal in the 118th minute, just five minutes after he came off the bench. He made a strong run inside from the right and curled a great shot past the goalkeeper, Lionel Mpasi-Nzau, who had kept DR Congo in the game for most of the match.
Despite neither team scoring a goal in the first 90 minutes, the match went to extra time as both teams struggled to find the net. The Algerians managed to find a way to win.
The goal finally broke the deadlock between two closely matched teams that had cancelled each other out during regular time and the early part of extra time. The game was marked by discipline, physical play, and missed opportunities.
Algeria started strong, controlling the ball and being aggressive, but they had difficulty creating clear chances against the solid Congolese defence. Mpasi-Nzau, the DR Congo goalkeeper, was not tested much in the first half.
DR Congo looked dangerous on counterattacks. Cedric Bakambu nearly scored in the first half, forcing Luca Zidane into a good save. Then, Axel Tuanzebe’s header from the resulting corner went just wide.
Algeria is now set to compete in the quarter-finals against Nigeria in Marrakesh, as their pursuit of a second AFCON title in six years gains traction.
