The Algerian national team, defending champion, bids farewell to the Arab Cup against the Emirates

Yemen

Yemen – Follow-ups

The Algerian national team, reigning champions, exited the Qatar 2025 Arab Football Cup competitions in the quarter-finals, losing to their Emirati counterpart on penalties 7-6 after a marathon match on Friday at the Al-Bayt stadium.

With this result, the United Arab Emirates completes the contract of teams qualified for the semi-finals with Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, all of whom did not qualify for this round during the last edition in 2021, after the exclusion of Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Qatar.

The first half ended in a goalless draw after Algeria took control of the flow of the match, as they were the team that had the most possession of the ball and reached the Emirati goal. The referee canceled two goals in the 14th and 44th minutes for offside.

In the second half, Adel Boulbena managed to give Desert Warriors the lead in the 46th minute, with a shot from inside the penalty area after following a rebound from Emirati goalkeeper Hamad Al-Muqbali.

The UAE national team was active offensively and striker Bruno Oliveira managed to equalize in the 64th minute, with a left-footed shot from close range after a cross pass from teammate Caio, ending regulation time with the score 1-1.

Both teams resorted to overtime in two halves, which did not result in any change in the result, and finally decided to resort to penalties, which brought a smile to the face of the Emirati team, after goalkeeper Hamad Al-Muqbali excelled by saving two shots on goal, to take his country to the next round.

The Emirati “Al-Abyad” has set a semi-final date, next Monday, at the “Khalifa International Stadium” with the Moroccan national team, qualified at the expense of Syria, last Thursday.

Qatar will host for the third time in its history the 11th edition of the 2025 Arab Football Cup, between December 1 and 18, with the participation of 16 teams divided into 4 groups.

Yemen