Algeria scored two goals in extra time to beat neighbours Tunisia 2-0 and win the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup.
Amir Sayoud scored in the ninth minute of extra-time while Yacine Brahimi scored with the game’s final kick at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor city to take Algeria to the title on Saturday.
Algeria added the Arab crown to the Africa Cup of Nations title won in 2019 and will defend in Cameroon next month.
The 31-year-old Sayoud made his international debut in Algeria’s opening game of the tournament but did not play again until coming on just past the hour mark in the final.
His thunderous 99th-minute shot turned Sayoud into an instant national hero.
Brahimi scored on a breakaway with the last kick of the game as Tunisia pushed everyone up for a last-gasp corner, and Brahimi raced away unchecked after the Algeria defence cleared the ball.
Al Jazeera’s sports correspondent Joanna Gasiorowska, speaking from Al-Bayt Stadium, said it was an “incredible finish” by an Algerian side that was “young and under-strength”.
What a goal for algeria in the Arab cup final pic.twitter.com/ftNz49RYoZ
— dani🇪🇸 (@Danibarca23) December 18, 2021
“They don’t have their European stars in the side, and they registered in the tournament as Algeria A,” she said. “They have done so well to get this far [to the final], and now they have won the tournament. It’s just really incredible.”
Earlier, hosts Qatar beat Egypt 5-4 on penalties in the third-place playoff match.
The heated game on Saturday seemed like it could be heading in either direction as both teams managed near-equal possession of the ball, with Egypt slightly taking the upper hand in the final minutes.
But the match at Doha’s Stadium 974 went to extra time after Egypt’s several attempts on goal were stopped.
With no goals in extra time, Qatar’s goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham rose to the occasion by blocking a penalty and helping his side end up with the bronze medal.
The 2022 World Cup will take place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18.
The Al-Bayt stadium, which is modelled after tents used in Qatar’s deserts, will be the venue for the upcoming tournament’s opening match.
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