FIFA Arab Cup: Football rivals Egypt and Algeria play out 1-1 draw
FIFA Arab Cup: Football rivals Egypt and Algeria play out 1-1 draw
A raucous atmosphere at Qatar's Al-Janoub Stadium was unable to provide a winner as the anticipated fixture between Egypt and Algeria ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
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Algerian fans were in good spirits throughout their group-stage fixture against rivals Egypt, despite the fixture being associated with violence [Getty Images]
Algeria and Egypt faced each other on Tuesday in a nerve-racking 1-1 draw in the FIFA Arab Cup, which was played at Qatar's new Al-Janoub Stadium.
The draw grabbed attention after it left the top spot in Group D - between Egypt and Algeria - to be decided by FIFA fair play rules which compare the number of yellow and red cards collected by each team during the tournament.
This saw the Egyptian Pharaohs go ahead of old rivals, Les Verts of Algeria.
The two North African football teams have a long history of intense rivalry and repeated "hate matches", sometimes spilling out into violence.
In 1989 Algeria and Egypt met for a place in the 1990 World Cup, seeing fighting.
In 2009, Egyptian fans threw stones at the Algerian team bus in Cairo, wounding three players.
Games between the two countries often see nationalistic passions rich fever pitch and sometimes with political overtones.
Algerian football star Riyad Mahrez ignored Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly at the closing ceremony of the Africa Cup of Nations, which took place in Cairo. He later apologised for "insulting" the PM.
The two teams had secured their victory by defeating Lebanon and Sudan in earlier games. Egypt started their Arab Cup campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over Lebanon to secure a 5-0 victory against Sudan.
Algeria similarly defeated Sudan in a 4-0 game and later beat Lebanon 2-0.
The 2021 Arab Cup, the 10th edition of the tournament, is for the first time being played under FIFA's jurisdiction.
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