The Desert Foxes of Algeria have won all their four matches and are yet to concede a goal. The tournament favourites are tipped to go all the way to the final, but they have to overcome Cote d’Ivoire in today’s quarter-final in Suez.
Algeria beat Senegal, Kenya and Tanzania in the group stages before demolishing Guinea in Sunday’s last-16 match (3-0).
“Algeria have shown that they are good at all levels. They are very powerful. They are the best team at the moment,” said Guinea’s losing coach Paul Put.
Cote d’Ivoire, who lost to Morocco in the group stages have won matches against Namibia, South Africa to reach this stage.
In the other quarter final clash at the Al Salam Stadium today, impressive tournament debutants Madagascar take on Tunisia, who are also yet to win or lose a match in open play.
However, the Tunisians edged out Ghana’s Black Stars 5-4 on penalties at the last-16 stage after a 1-1 draw in extra time, while Madagascar also upstaged Congo DR at the same lottery of shoot-outs.
Madagascar, who shocked fans with a 2-0 group stage victory over Nigeria, will be hoping to continue the fairy-tale story that saw them qualify for Africa’s biggest football tournament for the first time.
This will be the first time the two teams meet at Africa’s biggest football tournament.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has already announced that VAR system will be introduced from the quarter-final stage of the tournament.
The system, that has caused controversy in other football tournaments, had originally been left out in the opening rounds as a “measure of prudence.”
“Those countries that use VAR did not rush into it from the start. It’s a technology that a lot of people don’t completely use yet,” CAF president Ahmad Ahmad told reporters before the tournament.
Several marginally off-side calls and an erroneous handball decision, which Ghana felt might have contributed to their early exit from the tournament, have been the extent of controversy in the tournament traditionally filled with refereeing controversy. – africanews.com
Cote d’Ivoire-Algeria head-to-head record
Cote d’Ivoire 3-0 Algeria: group stage in 1968
Cote d’Ivoire 1-1 Algeria: group stage in 1988
Algeria 3-0 Cote d’Ivoire: group stage in 1990
Cote d’Ivoire 3-0 Algeria: group stage in 1992
Cote d’Ivoire 2-3 Algeria: quarter-final in 2010
Algeria 2-2 Cote d’Ivoire: group stage in 2013
Cote d’Ivoire 3-1 Algeria: quarter-final in 2015
