Algeria qualify for 2013 Africa Cup of Nations finals in South Africa

Two goals within the opening ten minutes from strikers El Arbi Hillel Soudani and Islam Slimani virtually sealed Algeria’s place in the 2013 African Cup of Nations finals to be hosted next January by South Africa following a 2-0 victory over Libya in their second leg qualifying match played in Blida’s Tchacher stadium on Sunday evening, (October 14th).

• The 2-0 meritorious win took the aggregate scoreline to 3-0 over the two leg qualifier after the Algerian Desert Foxes beat Libya by a single goal in the first leg qualifier last September on neutral venue in Morocco, and thus ended the Libyans’ Afcon hopes for next year.
• Forward Hillel Soudani was the man who scored Algeria’s solitary goal in the first leg tie in September in Casablanca stadium and it was him who opened the scoring in Blida after only five minutes after kick-off.
• The talented Algerian player produced a clinical finish in front of goal to give his side the ascendancy early on in the crucial tie after being put through on goal by some inch perfect passing.
• And Algeria’s place in the continental showpiece in South Africa next year was almost confirmed when second striker Islam Slimani’s doubled his country’s lead three minutes later.
• It was another well worked passing move that resulted in Slimani finding some space inside the box where he made no mistake firing the ball past the stranded Libyan keeper.
• Sadly, though, that was about as exciting as the game got in the first 45 as Algeria seemed content to sit on their three goal aggregate cushion while Libya were unable to produce any real threat in attack.
• The second 45 took a very similar pattern as Algeria sat back in defence and looked to hit on the counter-attack.
• Libya tried to assert the pressure on the Algerian goal, but the Fennec Foxes’ defence held firm as the game ended 2-0 in their favour.
• The result sees Algeria as the last team to qualify with flying coulours for the 2013 African Cup of Nations after they missed out on the tournament earlier this year in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.