African champions Algeria win FIFA Arab Cup 2021
Extra-time goals by substitute Amr Sayoud and Yacine Brahimi gave Algeria a 2-0 win over neighbours Tunisia in the Arab Cup final at the Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar on Saturday.
It added the Arab crown to the Africa Cup of Nations title Algeria won in 2019 and will defend in Cameroon next month.
Both countries were playing without their European-based players and looked tired at the end of the 18-day tournament but kept pressing for goals against the backdrop of a raucous atmosphere delivered by a capacity 60,456 crowd.
The tournament was designed as a dress rehearsal for next year’s World Cup. It has been the first time fans have packed into some of the stadiums the Gulf Arab state built in preparation for the global showpiece tournament.
Thousands of fan-filled cars decorated with Algerian, Tunisian and Qatari flags headed north along the desert expressway leading to Al Bayt Stadium, about 50km north of the Qatari capital, Doha. The stadium, which resembles a giant black and white Bedouin tent like those traditionally used by nomadic tribes in the Arab Gulf, will be the venue for the World Cup’s opening match.
