The Algerian national team, known as the Fennec Foxes, is the pride of the country and has the potential to make the quarter finals, according to Gulf News.
Madjid Bougherra is a key figure at the back, while Sofiane Feghouli is an exciting attacking midfielder and Medhi Lacen holds things down in front of the defense according to FIFA. Keep an eye out for Islam Slimani, pictured here, and Al Arbi Hillel Soudani, during forward play. On the negative side, the Algerian squad suffers from some defense deficits, mainly in the center position.
Algeria had an embarrassing performance in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup. When pitted against the U.S., England and Slovenia, the team didn’t score a single goal. They hope to do better this time with a crop of talented young players.
Gulf News reports: “For politicians, this is the achievement they have been waiting for a long time, to keep the youngsters away from politics, social unrest and to forget about unemployment and housing problems.”
For many Algerians, soccer is the game that makes them proud of their country. It’s “a game that gives sense to their life and existence,” Gulf News reports. When you listen to their conversations, everybody is a coach and is an expert in football tactics and techniques. They praise this player, criticize another and are not happy about the performance of a third.”
Algeria has played in three World Cups: Spain in 1982, Mexico in 1986 and South Africa in 2010. They had their best performance in Spain, when they best West Germany 2-1 in the opening game. But despite a 3-2 victory over Chile, their 2-0 loss to Austria meant they were eliminated from the quarter finals on a goal difference, FIFA reports.
Gulf News reports that 4,000 Algerian fans are expected to descend on Brazil in support of their national team and that a few Algerian songs have even been created exclusively for this World Cup.
Skipper Madjid Bougherra, pictured here, scored the key goal against Burkina Faso. The Algerian team won 3-2, qualifying it for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Gulf News reports.
According to Gulf News, Algeria is No. 22 in the world and has lost only once in its last 13 matches. It has also won three World Cup warm-up games against Slovenia, Armenia and Romania, scoring seven goals and conceding just two.
Algeria is in a group with South Korea, Russia and Belgium. It plays Belgium first on June 17, followed by South Korea on June 22 and Russia on June 26.
