Two very important deadlines await Algeria. Starting next month, the Fennecs will go to Morocco to compete in the 2025 African Cup of Nations (from December 21 to January 18), with the ambition of achieving a good result six and a half years after their second continental title. And six months later, they will arrive in North America, this time to play in the 2026 World Cup. Their first since 2014.
2014, an edition which will remain forever engraved in the memory of Algerians. That year, in Brazil, the Greens thrilled an entire country, and even beyond, by reaching the round of 16 after finishing second in a group dominated by Belgium, also made up of Russia and South Korea. A good journey which took them straight to Germany for a legendary meeting.
Algeria, the beautiful and heartbreaking memory of 2014
That June 30, Islam Slimani’s teammates stood up to the future world champions, even pushing them to overtime before AndrĂ© SchĂĽrrle (92e) and Mesut Ă–zil (119e) do not dampen their hopes (2-1, ap).
“When you play against Germany, a team that is so much better – the best in the world, by far, because they beat Brazil 7-1 – you have to prepare for that”says Vahid Halilhodzic.
In the podcast Kampohosted by journalist SmaĂŻl Bouabdellah, the former Algeria coach dives back into this round of 16. With some regrets. “I know they (his players) are scared. I’m scared too but I show a completely different facehe remembers. I explained to them that they were better than them. They asked me at the start and you can’t just say anything either. »
Algeria came close to the feat against Germany in the round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup.
“I asked them, ‘Are you winning today?’ They all had their heads down. A second time, their heads do not move. The third, I shouted a little: ‘So I’m talking to you with my head held high, you’re looking at me! I’m not handsome but you look me in the eyes! We’re going to try something. We can do this, don’t be afraid. You have to play, especially defend well, but when there is a ball, you have to play it. »
And “Coach Vahid” continues: “’Try to finish your actions with a strike or something to bring danger to them. They will be surprised and they may even panic.’ And I saw it, at one point, they really panicked. They didn’t understand how this team dominated like that. At halftime, I was really angry and I said: ‘Huh, you don’t want to win? I’m going out, I can’t anymore’. »
“If we had beaten Germany…”
“After the second half, when the match is over and there is extra time (he grimaces)… Half of the players were doing Ramadan and there was a terrible shortage of water. Besides, two players came out because they had cramps, so I knew it would be difficult for us and they lost the match.he laments. Enough to leave him with a lot of bitterness, because the Fennecs could have gone very far.
“In the locker room, it was a little difficult but they understood that they had perhaps missed a historic moment. Not just for the history of Algerian football, but of football in general. If we had beaten Germany, I’m sure they could have made it to the final.”he believes. Imagine, the Greens could then have crossed paths with France in the quarters, Brazil in the semis and Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the final…
