BY OUR FOOTBALL REPORTER IN RABAT
FORMER Manchester City king Riyad Mahrez and his Algerian brothers are dreaming of AFCON glory tonight after a 119th-minute thunderbolt broke DR Congo’s stubborn resistance.
In a game that looked destined for the lottery of penalties, super-sub Adil Boulbina became a national hero with a rocket that nearly tore the net off at the Moulay Hassan Stadium.
The 22-year-old Al-Duhail starlet, who had barely seen a minute of action this tournament, was thrown on by boss Vladimir Petković as a last-ditch gamble. And boy, did it pay off.
Cutting inside former Manchester United man Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Boulbina unleashed a vicious, curling strike into the top corner that left Congolese keeper Lionel Mpasi grasping at thin air.
But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Fennec Foxes. For 118 minutes, they were frustrated by a DR Congo side that refused to read the script.
The Leopards, led by the evergreen Cedric Bakambu, thought they had snatched it in normal time. But Algeria had their own secret weapon in goal—Luca Zidane.
The son of French legend Zinedine produces saves that would make his old man proud, tipping a goal-bound Bakambu header around the post to keep the dream alive.
Riyad Mahrez pulled the strings for over an hour, showing the same silky touch that dazzled the Premier League for years, before being hooked in a tactical reshuffle that had the Algerian fans scratching their heads.
Wolves star Rayan Ait-Nouri was a constant menace down the left, but even he couldn’t find the breakthrough as the clock ticked toward midnight.
In the end, it was the “nobody” who became the “somebody.”
Boulbina’s strike sparked wild scenes in the stands, with the Algerian bench charging onto the pitch like they’d already won the trophy.
They haven’t won it yet, but they’ve booked a heavyweight date with Victor Osimhen’s Nigeria in the quarter-finals. Get the popcorn ready—this is going to be a war.
