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From Petros Kausiyo in
KHARTOUM, Sudan
South Africa………………………………………………………0
Algeria…………………………………………………………(1) 2
SOUTH Africa’s fine run at the African Nations Championships came to a screeching halt yesterday when a technically efficient Algeria sent them reeling out in a quarter-final tie at the Khartoum International Stadium.
Goals either half by Adel Maiza with a 43rd minute penalty and Hocine Metref in the 89th minute ended the Amabinneplaas’ dreams of a semi-final place on their maiden dance with the CHAN competition.
After twice staging dramatic come backs when upstaging Ghana and Zimbabwe with identical 2-1 wins in the group stages, there was no such luck for the South Africans against a disciplined Algerian side that defended resolutely and often found them at sea with dangerous counter raids.
South Africa also paid dearly for abandoning the fast paced game that had carried them through with an unbeaten run in their opening three games that also included a 2-0 win over Niger.
Instead Simon Ngomane’s men resorted to the long ball for much of the game and this simply played into the tall Algerian defenders while their normally lively winger Already Mkwanazi was anonymous for much of the game.
Even the majority of their attempts at goal were high balls which gangly Algerian goalkeeper Lamine Zemmamouche found little difficulty in plucking to safety.
South Africa centre back Sandile Leping, guilty of some nervy defending all afternoon, nearly gifted the Desert Foxes with an early breakthrough in the seventh minute when his miscued clearance fell onto the path of Metref but the Algerian left winger blasted his low shot in the legs of goalkeeper Jacob Mokhasi.
The Algerians then forced South Africa to back pedal in the early stages and it was not until the 14th minute that Ngomane’s men came out of their shell and forced Zemmamouche to tip over for a corner a curling free from Tiyani Mabunda from 20 metres out.
Five minutes later Aphiwe Mlalandle sent a blistering drive that however, drew an equally good save from Zemmamouche as South Africa gradually found their way back into the game.
But Metref who was causing all sorts of problems for South Africa from the blind side almost thrust his team into the lead when took aim at the top far corner only to find an alert Mokhasi just putting his fingers to tip the ball over.
Mokhasi was again forced to dive to his right to punch a low shot from Algeria striker Hilal Soudani after 35 minutes.
The Algerians were finally repaid for their probing five minutes from the break, albeit from questionable circumstances after trigger happy Senegalese referee Ousmanne Fall, who dished a host of yellow cards to either side, adjudged that Mokhasi had clipped Moustafa Djallit in the box and awarded them a penalty.
It was a close call as Djallit seemed to run into the diving South African goalkeeper and captain after he had touched the ball but Fall stood his ground despite the Amabinneplaas protests and allowed the Desert Foxes to take their penalty.
Maiza then beat Mokhasi with a low shot to the far right of the diving South African goalkeeper.
But if the Amabinneplaas complained bitterly about the penalty, they had not qualms about the clinical manner in which the Desert Foxes fashioned their second goal right at the death.
Substitute Bouzza Feham latched onto a long clearance from the back by his goalkeepers, danced his way past two tiring South African defenders, exchanged passes with Soudani on the right flank before sending a low cross across goal that Metref stabbed home past an exposed Mokhasi.
That goal also took the stuffing out of the South Africans who had tried to stage a late fight back following the introduction of the forceful Collen Zimba for right back Ennocent Kunene the 82nd minute.
Two minutes after Zimba had come on, he teed up fellow substitute Edward Mgekele but the striker saw the Algerian goalkeeper twice dive to the ground to block his attempts.
A minute later Vusimuzi Shongwe failed to hold his nerve and hurried his effort by dragging the ball wide with the goalkeeper beaten.
Ngomane conceded defeat and said they had lost to a better side.
“I think four or five players not playing to their game we didn’t mount a strong challenge, some of my players just didn’t come to the party and I must admit the Algerians played well and were the better team but I thought they got a very soft penalty,” Ngomane said.
Teams:
South Africa: J. Mokhasi, E. Kunene (C. Zimba 82nd minute), C. Mashego, H. Khoza, S. Leping, A. Mkwanazi, L. Shabangu, V. Shongwe, A. Mlalandle (E. Mnge,kele 46th minute) T. Mabunda, M. Shongwe(K. Mthimukulu 76th minute)
Algeria: L. Zemmamouche, H. Soudani, A. Laifaoui, A. Maiza, M. Yekhlef, K. Lemmouchia, M Djallit (L. Hadj 46th minute) , M. Messaoud (A.Gasmi ( 88th mimnute), A. Djabou (B. Feham 69th minute), M Meftah, H. Metref