Algerian Radio
The Algerian national football team secured an important 1-0 friendly victory against its Dutch host on Wednesday night.
The winning goal for the "Desert Warriors" came through a beautiful strike by winger Anis Hadj Moussa in the 86th minute, providing a significant confidence boost for "Les Verts" just two weeks before the start of their World Cup campaign.
Hadj Moussa and his teammates managed to defeat a Dutch side that had not lost at home since 2023.
"Les Verts" started the match with the following lineup: Zidane – Abada – Aït-Nouri – Mandi – Belaïd – Zerrouki – Aouar – Bentaleb – Mahrez – Gouiri – Amoura.
At the "De Kuip" stadium in Rotterdam, the hosts began the match tentatively. In contrast, "Les Verts" displayed a fine tactical move early on, though Mahrez was unable to finish it clinically (4').
The right post denied a powerful shot from AS Roma striker Malen (8'), before an offside call disallowed a goal by Tijjani Reijnders (10').
The rhythm of the match remained slow as the Netherlands missed several opportunities, including a one-on-one for Malen against Zidane, where the ball went wide (18').
With captain Riyad Mahrez uncharacteristically losing several balls and Aouar struggling to find his rhythm, Zidane intervened brilliantly to stop a dangerous attempt from Gakpo (20').
As rain began to fall, Zidane once again thwarted a Dutch attempt by Gravenberch (26') against an unbalanced Algerian midfield. The final fifteen minutes of the first half saw intense Dutch pressure as the Algerians struggled for offensive solutions and lost possession cheaply.
It is noted that Austrian referee Jakob Samler (35) officiated the encounter between "Les Verts" and the "Oranje."
In the second half, Vladimir Petković introduced substitutes Maza, Chaïbi, Hadj Moussa, Belghali, Hadjam, and Tougaï, which injected fresh energy into the team. Amoura came close to scoring (55'), as did Malen in his fourth attempt (57').
The introduction of Benbouali in place of Gouiri gave the Algerians more offensive spirit, resulting in greater ball possession (51% for Abada and his teammates).
Boulebina replaced Amoura (69') as Petković sought to revitalize the attack, but Chaïbi failed to capitalize on a close-range free kick (76').
The final minutes saw the Dutch retreat before Hadj Moussa painted a beautiful picture with a volleyed goal in his "garden" in Rotterdam (86').
Facing a bewildered Dutch coach, Ronald Koeman, "Les Verts" ended the match with greater control, setting the stage for what hopes to be a strong performance in Algeria’s fifth World Cup appearance.
A second friendly before the big event
"Les Verts" will face Bolivie in a second friendly next Wednesday evening before heading to the 2026 World Cup (June 11 – July 19).
Belghali and his teammates will begin their World Cup journey with a heavyweight clash against 2022 champions Argentine. The match will take place in twenty days, starting at 3:00 AM Algiers time.
World Cup Group J includes Argentine, Algeria, Jordanie, and Autriche. Riyad Mahrez and his teammates will play their first-round matches between Kansas City and the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States.
Following the match against the "Tango Dancers," "Les Verts" will face the "Nashama" of Jordanie on June 23, starting at 5:00 AM Algiers time. This "Arab Summit" will take place in the San Francisco Bay Area, marking the first-ever World Cup meeting between the two brotherly nations. This match holds great importance, as both teams will likely need the points to advance past the first round.
In their third and final group stage match, "Les Verts" will play a "revenge match" against Autriche on June 28, starting at 4:00 AM in Kansas City.
The Austrians topped their European qualifying group. This will be the second meeting between the two nations since June 21, 1982, which ended 2-0 in favor of Austria.
Next summer's match carries a vengeful tone 43 years after the "El Molinón" scandal against the teammates of star Lakhdar Belloumi. On that occasion, the Austrians struck a deal with the Germans, leading to the elimination of the Algerians following a goal by Hrubesch in the first fifteen minutes of what became known as the "Match of Shame."
