IKEJABIRD 
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FOOTBALL UPDATE 
Algeria were crowned as champions of the 2021 Fifa Arab Cup after defeating Tunisia 2-0 in extra time in Saturday’s final..
Sayoud and Brahimi fire Algeria to Fifa Arab Cup glory..
Heading into the blockbuster fixture, the Carthage Eagles had defeated Egypt 1-0 in the semi-final clash while Djamel Belmadi’s men overcame hosts Qatar 2-1 in the other last four game.
In the encounter characterised by shocking misses, Almoez Ali set the ball rolling by firing over from close range. Algeria’s Tayeb Meziani then shockingly missed the target from a very close range.
At the end of 90 minutes with the two sides locked at 0-0, the North Africans progressed into extra time as a winner had to emerge.
However, it was the reigning African champions Algeria, who broke the deadlock in the 99th minute as Sayoud drilled a stunning strike past goalkeeper Mouez Hassen.
Brahimi guaranteed the triumph with a late effort after racing through unopposed to slot home the easiest goal of his career.
“I present this victory to the Algerian people,” Sayoud told media.
“I missed other scoring chances, but I finally managed to find the net to give the victory to my team.”
Earlier in the day, Qatar defeated the Pharaohs of Egypt 5-4 on penalties after the match had ended in a 0-0 draw after 120 minutes. Ahmed Hegazi and Mohamed Sherif missed their kicks, while the home side converted five out of their six penalties.
….The Fifa Arab Cup was staged to act as a preparatory competition to test the operational readiness of the Middle East nation ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
For Algeria, the championship was a dress rehearsal as they commence their Africa Cup of Nations title defence in January.
Belmadi’s men are zoned in Group E alongside Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire.
