World Cup 2010: Algeria Qualify!

Algeria qualified to the 2010 World Cup with a 1-0 win over rivals Egypt in a playoff match held at the Merreikh Stadium in Khartoum, Sudan. The only goal of the game came in the 40th minute when Karim Ziani set up defender Antar Yahia who's shot from inside the box struck the bar and went in. The draw for the World Cup will be held on December 4th.

PS. Blog back up !!

Daily Fix: Bougherra Reaffirms Commitment to Rangers

-Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra reaffirmed his commitment to Rangers after reports on the weekend had indicated that the Algerian international would leave the club if they did not win the league title this season. Bougherra clarified his message on Rangers' official site saying "I have no intention of leaving Rangers.I was trying to say that if you don't have the mentality to win a championship then you should not be at a club like Rangers.I did not express myself properly in English and I believe what I said sounded bad to the supporters listening to the radio." In related news, Bougherra was also honored on the weekend as the Rangers Player of the Year by the Brothers in Blue supporters group. He received his trophy in an event organized by the group at the Ibrox Suite.

-According to The Egypt Report, Uganda has requested a friendly with the Algerian National Team in the Ugandan capital Kampala. Uganda, already eliminated from the African and World Cup qualifiers, has also sollicited Egypt and the Ivory Coast.

-In the English Premier League, Portsmouth drew 0-0 away to relegation threatened Newcastle United. Nadir Belhadj started on the left-wing for Pompey and put in a good presentation attacking the Newcastle defense. He received a 6 out of 10 from SkySports.com for his efforts. Portsmouth now need a maximum of just 4 points from their final 4 games to avoid the drop, and could probably maintain their place in the EPL with less than that.

-In France's Ligue 2, Strasbourg and Metz also played out to a goalless draw in front of 23,000 fans at the Stade La Meinau with both sides looking to cement their promotion bids. Algerian international Yacine Bezzaz returned to training for Strasbourg but did not participate in the game. Midfielder Laurent Agouazi started for Metz but was replaced in the 67th minute. The draw means that Metz remain in the 3rd place with just a 1 point advantage over 4th placed Strasbourg.

-Finally, according to various sources, Ahli Jeddah has decided to terminate the contract of its coach and all the foreign players on the team after being eliminated from the domestic cup. This includes Algerian striker Youcef Saibi who joined the Saudi club in February from USM El Harrach, scoring 4 goals in his brief time with the club. Saibi will return having left a good impression about his abilities with Saudi National Team head coach Jose Peseiro considering giving him a call-up before being told that he was Algerian.

Daily Fix: Ziani Helps Marseille Take Step Closer to Title

-Karim Ziani return to the Marseille starting line-up in their important away trip to Lille after a one month absence due to his hernia surgery. Playing on the right wing, Ziani had a quiet first half by his standards failing to really implicate himself in Marseille's play. However, Ziani proved to be more decisive in the second half and even started the action that led to Marseille's second goal which proved to be the game winner. Marseille's 2-1 win means that they now have a 5 point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table with just 5 more games to go.

-In other Ligue 1 action, Lorient drew 1-1 away to Toulouse to end their 2 game losing streak. Midfielder Yazid Mansouri started the game in his usual holding role and gave the assist on Lorient's goal in the 86th minute with a perfectly placed cross for Andre Ayew. However, Lorient could not hold on to the lead and gave up a goal in the last minute of the game to share the spoils.

-In the German Bundesliga, Karim Matmour scored his 3rd goal of the season in Borussia Monchengladbach's 1-1 draw at home against Arminia Bielefeld. Matmour opened the scoring in the 13th minute of the game with a well struck right-footer into the corner of the net. However, the visitors equalized 20 minutes later with the score remaining that way until the final whistle. The draw keeps both sides in the relegation zone with 7 more rounds to go.

-In the German second division, FSV Mainz beat FC Ingolstadt in a 4-3 thriller to move up to second place in the table. Chadli Amri started the game and gave the assist in Mainz's second goal before being subbed off in the 70th minute. The win means that Mainz are now in a prime position to gain promotion to the Bundesliga.

-In the Italian Serie A, AC Siena lost 1-0 on the road to Torino. Striker Abdelkader Ghezzal did not start the game for the Bianconeri but came on in the 53rd minute with his side already down a goal. However, Siena were unable to find the equalizer.

-Kamel Ghilas scored his 10th goal of the season as Celta Vigo drew 2-2 at home against Levante. Celta Vigo were destined for the win but 2 goals in the last 25 minutes dashed their hopes.

-Finally, 34-year old striker Hamid Berguiga scored his second goal of the season as his team DPMM FC climbed to the top of Singapore's S League with a 2-1 win over powerhouses Singapore Armed Forces FC. Put through on goal by his teammate Rene Komar, Berguiga kept his cool to slot him the winner to the delight of the 10,000 fans in attendance. With the win, DPMM FC take a 1 point lead over SAAFC at the top of the S League 10 games into the season.

Arab Champions League: ES Sétif Eliminated in Semi-Finals

ES Sétif's quest for a third consecutive Arab Champions League came to an end today as they lost 2-0 against Tunisian side Espérance to go out 3-0 on aggregate. Playing in front of a full house at the Radès Stadium, the home side took the lead in the 7th minute with a penalty converted by Zine El Abidine Souissi after goalkeeper Hadjaoui had been deemed to bring down Nigerian striker Eneramo in the box. Despite a number of chances for ESS to equalize, notable a Slimane Raho shot off the bar, they failed to find the back of the net. Espérance put the icing on the cake 3 minutes from the full-time whistle with a goal from striker Wajdi Bouazzi. Espérance will face Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca in the finals of the competition. ESS will now turn their attention to the domestic title, where they currently sit in first, and the CAF Confederation Cup.

ESS: Hadjaoui - Raho, Laifaoui, Diss, Yekhlef - Belkaid, Delhoum, Metref - Djediat (Ambane) - Ziaya, Hemani (Segeur)

Daily Fix: Bougherra, Rangers Qualify to Scottish Cup Final

-Madjid Bougherra helped Rangers to a comfortable 3-0 win over St. Mirren in the semi-finals of the 2009 Scottish Cup at Glasgow's Hampden Park. Goals from Velicka, Boyd and Miller booked Rangers place in the May 30th final for the second year in a row. Rangers won last year's edition, the 32nd in team history, with a 3-2 win over second division side Queen of the South. The 26-year old Bougherra will be looking to win the first trophy of his young career.

-VfL Bochum lost their second league game in a row after going down 3-2 on the road to Werder Bremen. Despite holding a 2-0 advantage, Bochum gave up 3 goals in the last 35 minutes a game to miss out on the 3 points. Algerian defender Antar Yahia played the whole game for Bochum.

-Ankaragücü managed a shocking 2-1 win on the road against giants Fenerbahce in the Turkish Süper Lig. Defender Ismael Bouzid held his own in the heart of the Ankaragücü defense despite going up against the likes of David Guiza, Roberto Carlos and Deivid. Ankaragücü have now won 3 of their last 4 games and seem destined to avoid relegation to the second division.

-As is usually the case, a number of Algerians were in action in the Belgian league this weekend. Adlène Guédioura helped Charleroi to a 1-0 win over Zulte Waregem before being replaced in the 87th minute of the game. His former teammate Karim Belhocine played the entire game for Courtrai as they drew 2-2 at home against Tubize. Finally, forward Idir Ouali could not help his Mouscron side avoid defeat as they went down 3-0 at Lokeren.

-In the Swiss Super League, AC Bellinzona won 2-0 at home against FC Luzern with former Lyon midfielder Yacine Hima playing the whole game for the home side. Hima has made 21 appearances this season scoring 1 goal.

-Last but not least, Tunisian side Espérance Tunis will host ES Sétif in the return leg of their semi-final match-up of the 2009 Arab Champions League at the Stade 7 November in the Tunisian capital. The Tunisians managed a 1-0 win in Sétif in the first leg and ESS will come out looking to score knowing they have nothing to lose. The game is scheduled for 3.30PM Algerian time (10.30AM Eastern Standard Time) and can be seen live on ART.

Daily Fix: Dahmane Starts In Club Brugge Loss

-Mohamed "Momo" Dahmane started his second game in a row for Club Brugge in the early game of the weekend on the road against Germina Beerschot. However, the home side took the lead just 5 minutes into the game through Croatian international Ivan Leko. Despite a number of chance for the visitors, namely through Akpala and Sonck, Brugge were unable to level things. Dahmane was subbed off in the 80th minute as Brugge coach Jacky Mathijssen looked to bring in some fresh legs to get the equalizer but Germinal Beerschot sealed the game just 5 minutes later, when Leko scored again this time from the penalty spot. Despite the loss, Brugge will remain in 3rd place with 4th placed La Gantoise 6 points behind.

-A number of games were on the Ligue 2 schedule today:

Nîmes 2-1 Dijon - Nîmes won 2-1 at home to keep up their hopes of staying up this season. Midfielder Mehdi Mostefa, captain of the team, played the full game for the Crocodiles with defender Saad Ichalalene making a brief 6 minute cameo in the game and collecting a yellow card. Algerian international Abderraouf Zarabi missed the game through suspension. Despite the win, Nîmes remain last in the standings but are not just 3 points below the safety zone.

Ajaccio 0-2 Amiens - Midfielder Foued Kadir came on at the half for Amiens as they won 2-0 away to Ajaccio. The win moves them to 12th place in the table.

Clermont Foot 1-0 Reims - Salim Arrache was back in the Reims starting line-up for their trip to Clermont. However, the left winger lasted just 58 minutes before being replaced. Clermont scored the winner 12 minutes from time when Reims defender Ibrahim Thiam scored an own goal. Reims just 2 points above the relegation zone but could move down if Châteauroux win in their game against Vannes.

Lens 1-0 Bastia - Ligue 2 leaders got the 3 points at home with a 1-0 win over visitors SC Bastia. Two former Algerian internations were in the starting line up for Bastia: fullback Mehdi Méniri and left back Fethi Harek. While Méniri did not have his best game, Harek put in an excellent performance both on defence and offence. Both of them played the entire game.

Angers 1-5 Boulogne - Angers lost any hope of promotion to the top flight as they were thrashed at home 5-1 by visitors Boulogne thanks to a hat-trick from Gregory Thil and a brace from Alexandre Cuvillier. Midfielder Karim Djellabi played the whole game for Angers.

Chemma League: JSM Béjaïa Win to Move Back Into Top Three

JSM Béjaïa moved back into third place in the Algerian League with a 1-0 win at home against 12th placed NA Hussein Dey. The lone goal of the game in the 75th minute from striker Hamza Boulemdïs, who scored his 6th goal of the season. The win puts JSMB level on points with 4th placed CA Bordj Bou Arreridj, with JSMB possessing the better goal average and a game in hand.

In the other game of the day, USM Alger won 3-0 at the Omar Hamadi Stadium against visitors AS Khroub. USMA opened the scoring in the 41st minute when a Amar Ammour free kick found an unmarked Isâad Bourahli who headed into the net. The second goal of the game came from another set piece, this time a Billel Dziri corner kick with defender Ali Rial rising over the opposition to double the gap. Bourahli put the icing on the cake in the 79th minute getting his second goal of the day. Despite the win, USMA have little to play for this season with the club likely finishing in the middle of the pack. ASK are looking to avoid relegation with the team sitting just 7 points clear of the relegation zone.