Both Angola And Algeria Through! In a rather disappointing display of football, and a boring second 45 minutes of the match, Angola and Algeria played to a tedious 0-0 draw in Luanda. The result saw both teams progress to the quarterfinals of the 2010 African Cup of Nations.
The first half saw both teams taking a cautious approach as no side wanted to go behind in this crunch match in Group A. Thus the match started slowly as both teams allowed each other to find their feet.
Angola knew a draw would be good enough for them to qualify. But those tactics could prove to be a slippery slope, where one goal from either side could end the other team’s tournament.
In fact, the first twenty minutes of the match was rather dull until it was sparked into life by an Algerian free-kick on the right edge of the 18 yard box in the 22nd minute.
As the cross was whipped into the box, Hassen Yebda tried an outrageous volley and completely missed the ball, which allowed the ball to fall kindly to his teammate Madjid Bougherra only a couple of yards out.
Bougherra looked certain to score, but some how Carlos Fernandes pulled off a miraculous save from point blank range.
Up until that point no team had threatened the others goal, but that one incident seemed to change the dynamic of the game. Soon after Angola opened up a bit and began playing the attacking football we have grown to love.
And hence, the home nation’s first real attempt on goal came four minutes later from a free-kick of their own. Ze Kalanga struck a powerful 35 yard free-kick that brought the best out of the Algerian keeper.
Faouzi Chaouchi scurried across his goal-mouth before diving full stretch to his left to tip the effort over the cross-bar for a corner-kick.
Suddenly the rest of the Angolan team seemed to awaken from their slumber and Manucho was the next player to test Chaouchi with a thunderbolt of a shot in the 32nd minute.
Manucho showed some great skill with a quick turn and shot from 20 yards out, but the Algerian keeper was up for the challenge with another fine stop.
Chaouchi was certainly the busier of the two keepers and was again called into action two minutes before the break after a swift passing movement by Angola cut through the Algerian defence like a hot knife through butter.
The move was concluded with a shot on goal from 12 yards out by Djalma, but again Chaouchi was on hand to produce a save and keep his side in the game.
Going into the break Angola would certainly have been the happier of the two teams. The second half, however, was a different story all together as neither side went looking for a winning goal and were content to play out to a goalless draw.
Algeria certainly started the more attacking of the two sides in the second half, but that soon came to an end when both sides got wind of the score in the groups other game which saw Mali in front.
With that news both teams seemed to come to an unsaid agreement and were content to play to a goalless draw. Something no one likes to see in football which resulted in the second half being very boring and a little sad in fact.
The game did end 0-0 and both Angola and Algeria progressed to the quarterfinals first and second on the log respectively.