World Cup Team History: Algeria

December 8th, 2009 | by: Daryl | View Comments

As part of our World Cup 2010 build up, we’re getting a little more familiar with each of the 32 teams that qualified for South Africa by looking back at their World Cup history. First up, it’s the Desert Foxes of Algeria.

South Africa 2010 will be Algeria’s third World Cup. The team has qualified twice before, in 1982 and 1986. On one of those occasions, they were very possibly robbed. Read on to find out what happened.

1982 World Cup

For their World Cup debut as Espana ‘82, Algeria we drawn into Group 2 with West Germany, Austria and Chile. In the opening game they faced Euro ‘80 champions West Germany. Nice easy introduction then.

Algeria shocked the world, not to mention West Germany, by winning that game 2-1. Rabah Madjer gave the Desert Foxes a 54th minute lead, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge equalized at close range for W. Germany in the 67th, but Lakhdar Belloumi did exactly the same at the other end just one minute later. Here’s the YouTube vid of Algeria’s famous win over West Germany in Gijon, complete with excellent windscreen wipe transitions:

Algeria lost their next game to Austria 2-0, but won their final group game vs Chile 3-2 with two goals from Salah Assad and one from Tedj Bensaoula.

Now comes the controversy. The final group game was West Germany vs Austria. Due to the mathematical situation in Group 2, both sides were very much aware that a 1-0 win for West Germany would see both Austria and West Germany qualify for the second round at Algeria’s expense. Which is exactly what happened.

After Germany took a 1-0 lead, both teams apparently sat back and waited for full time. Not sure if any German or Austrian fans would argue otherwise, but the latter half of this video seems pretty damning:

Algeria complained, FIFA (predictably) ignored and said the result stood. But the Schande von Gijón (the shame of Gijon) is the reason why the final round of all group games are now played simultaneously rather than separately.

1986 World Cup

Algeria were straight back in for their second World Cup when they qualified for Mexico ‘86. They could have no conspiracy complaints this time, although they were drawn in a tough Group D alongside Brazil, Spain and Northern Ireland.

The opening game against Northern Ireland started badly when Norman Whiteside put Northern Ireland ahead with a 6th minute free kick. However, Algeria fought back and equalized in the 59th minute when Djamel Zidane fired home with his left foot after a free kick routine.

I know what you’re thinking. Djamel Zidane. Algeria. Maybe he’s related to Zinedine Zidane? Well, someone at Wikipedia seems to think Djanmel is Zinedine’s uncle. FIFA begs to differ. However, even if Djamel and Zinedine aren’t related, Algeria’s first Zidane was apparently “an inspiration to Zizou in his formative years.” For what it’s worth.

Unfortunately, Algeria narrowly lost 1-0 to Brazil in their second group game at Mexico ‘86 and were then hammered 3-0 by Spain in the game, leaving them bottom of Group D and on the way home from Mexico.

Algeria narrowly missed out on World Cup Italia ‘90, losing a famously violent play-off game 1-0 to Egypt over two legs. That failure to make it to Italia ‘90 was followed by four more failures to qualify in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006. This period is apparently known as “The walk though the desert”. But the famous playoff win over Egypt this year (twenty years after the defeat in 1989) sees Algeria back in the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986.

Incredibly, Algeria’s coach at Mexico ‘86 was none other than Rabah Saadane, the same Rabah Saadane who – now in his fifth spell in charge of the Desert Foxes – will lead Algeria out at World Cup 2010.

Algeria complete World Cup record:
1982 – First Round (but deserved better)
1986 – First Round

For more World Cup team histories, click here.
For more on Algeria, read Omar’s Algeria World Cup Blog.