PORTO ALEGRE // The tourist representative holding the signboard looked for a moment wildly incongruous. “Welcome Algeria” read the placard, hoping to catch the eye of any north Africans who had just disembarked at Salgado Filho airport.
A steady flow then emerged through the arrivals gate, almost all dressed from head to toe in white and green. No need for the sign, then.
The Algerian team, whose World Cup hopes hinge on Sunday’s scrap with South Korea here, will be hoping to find similar hospitality.
Following an opening defeat, this match is make-or-break. Group H is supposed to be primarily a battle between Belgium and Russia, so victory at Porto Alegre’s Estadio Beiro-Rio is a must.
Algeria, spirited losers on Tuesday against Belgium, have in their short time in Brazil impressed, when perhaps no one, bar those close to the team, anticipated they could.
They are on a seven-match run without a win at the World Cup and have never advanced past the group stages in three previous attempts. In fact, Sofiane Feghouli’s first-half penalty against Belgium ended Algeria’s 28-year wait for a finals goal.
That loss did not tell the whole tale. Algeria more than matched their opponents for most of the encounter, until Marouane Fellaini headed Belgium level with 20 minutes remaining. Tails finally up, Dries Mertens sealed the victory 10 minutes later.
Algeria had won plaudits, if not points, although for Vahid Halilhodzic, their typically hard-nosed coach, there is little time for sentimental reminisces.
“Now is not the time for crying. This match is decisive,” he said ahead of their next assignment.
Yet his captain, Madjid Bougherra, has been reminding his teammates how Belgium were considered by many as dark horses for this tournament. Algeria nearly reined them in.
“Despite the loss, we have a solid team,” Bougherra said. “Don’t forget we put Belgium, one of the best sides in Europe, under pressure.”
Algeria’s chances depend heavily on Feghouli, the attacking midfielder who plies his trade with Valencia in Spain’s Primera Liga.
Feghouli, 24, is one of nine players who featured in the Belgium match who were born in France, as Halilhodzic cast wide the net to ensure the national team can be a source of pride for Algeria’s football-crazy fans.
“It will be historic if we qualify. We have to fight like lions,” Feghouli said. “We have quality players; we’ll do everything to go through.”
South Korea stand in their way. Buoyed by Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Russia, striker Ji Dong-won is confident his side have enough to prosper against their African rivals.
“I watched the game between Algeria and Belgium,” he said. “Algeria’s attacking players are quick and each has their own quality, so Algeria are not an easy target.
“If we play the match like we did with Russia, then our chances are good.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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