A stunning Adil Boulbina strike deep into injury time settled a tense last-16 encounter to send Algeria through to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations at the Democratic Republic of Congo's expense.
It looked as though both sides were content to go to penalties to determine who would progress before substitute Boulbina let fly with a thunderous effort in the 119th minute to stun the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.
Boulbina, who plays his club football in Qatar with Al Duhail, sent the mostly-Algerian crowd into delirium with a goal worthy of settling any match.
“First of all, thank God. Congratulations to Algeria and to the fans. I came onto the pitch late and scored but it is a collective effort and not about me. It is a great feeling for the team,” Boulbina said.
It maintained Algeria's winning run at this Afcon, having topped their group with three wins. Vladimir Petkovic's side now look serious contenders to go all the way, and will next face fellow unbeaten side in Nigeria in Marrakesh on Saturday.
“I believe we deserved to win based on what our players delivered, and I thank them for that," Petkovic said.
"We played well as a group, dominated the match, overcame difficulties, scored a goal and managed to win and qualify. I think we managed the match professionally. Qualifying was important, and now we will think about the next match against Nigeria.”
The result, which leaves the Congolese still looking for their first win over Algeria, was harsh on the Central Africans.
France World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane was once again in attendance to watch his son Luca keep a fourth clean sheet of the tournament for Les Fennecs, though in truth neither he nor Lionel Mpasi in the opposite goal were much troubled as both sets of defences were well on top.
With penalties seeming inevitable, Mpasi made two good saves in quick succession to deny first Fares Chaibi and then Baghdad Bounedjah.
But there was nothing the keeper could do about Boulbina's goal, as the forward cut in from the left and let fly a stunning strike into the top right-hand corner.
“We played a good second half after the changes we made, but during extra time there was a breakdown. We did an excellent job and now we are disappointed. I congratulate the Algerian team and wish them the best," said DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre.
Having failed to make it out of their group at the past two editions of Afcon, the 2019 African champions Algeria look to have found the right blend of attacking guile and defensive stubbornness to once again harness the undoubted talent in the North Africans' squad.
Ivory Coast on track for repeat
Defending champions Ivory Coast kept their quest for back-to-back Afcon titles on track with a commanding 3-0 victory over Burkina Faso in Marrakesh.
Manchester United winger Amad Diallo was the Ivorians' driving force, opening the scoring before laying on the assist for Yan Diomande to give Les Elephants a 2-0 lead going into the break.
While Burkina Faso briefly rallied, Bazoumana Toure's goal after a quick counter on 82 minutes extinguished all hope.
The result sets up a tantalising quarter-final clash against record seven-time champions Egypt in Agadir on Saturday.
Man-of-the-match Diallo spoke of the team's togetherness to prove that their win at the 2024 Afcon on home soil was no fluke.
“There is a genuine connection, a certain rhythm in the way we play. No one is trying to be the hero or to shine individually for the country. If I have the chance to make the pass, I do it. It’s instinctive; I give him the ball. That’s how we play,” Diallo said.
His coach Emerse Fae echoed the sentiment, highlighting his players' desire to recover the ball when lost in transition.
"They were under pressure at times and put in difficult situations, but they made a real effort to recover the ball very, very quickly," he said.
"There were many interceptions, duels won and balls regained directly from the opponent’s feet. That aspect of our game pleased me a lot."
