Algeria forward Riyad Mahrez curled in a free kick in stoppage time to give Algeria a 2-1 win over Nigeria in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final played in a volatile atmosphere.
The Algerians went ahead when William Troost Ekong turned a Mahrez cross into his own net five minutes before halftime. Nigeria equalised midway through the second half with a penalty awarded for handball and converted by Odion Ighalo following a lengthy VAR review. There were ugly scenes as bottles were thrown after the equaliser.
Algeria also decided to send as many as 10 chartered flights carrying about 1,400 football fans to Cairo for the African Cup of Nations semi-final against Nigeria on Sunday, the country’s state TV reported.
Few believed coach Djamel Belmadi’s side would make it this far in the tournament, but the Desert Foxes are now hoping to clinch their first title in nearly 30 years.
The Algerian government is ready to do just about anything, including setting aside a fleet of commercial planes to transport supporters eager to attend the game.
In 2017, Nigeria’s Super Eagles beat a somewhat disoriented Algerian side, that had seen six coaches pushed out within the last two years, to reach the 2018 World Cup.
