Algeria v Russia

Islam Slimani's header ensures Algeria progress 32 years after the 'Disgrace in Gijon

There can never be justice for the shameful way Algeria were eliminated from the 1982 World Cup but, after the longest of waits, this felt like catharsis for an entire nation.

Fully 32 years since wins over Germany and Chile were rendered meaningless by the famous ‘Disgrace in Gijón’, when Austria and Germany played out a “rigged” 1-0 win to eliminate them, Algeria are in the last 16 of the World Cup.

It is the first time they have reached this stage and, should they continue to play with the attacking verve that has already seen them score six goals in the tournament, Germany’s expected path into the quarter-finals will be no formality. Another first is the elimination of Fabio Capello’sRussia from a World Cup without having registered a single win.

Capello himself has also overseen just one victory in seven matches in the competition with England and now Russia, a record that is already prompting questions about whether he should see out his contract with the hosts in 2018.

The decisive moment here was controversial, with Islam Slimani heading Algeria’s 60th-minute equaliser into an empty net after a laser pen had been shone at the Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev. It is doubtful whether the light was directly responsible for Akinfeev’s lapse but it certainly prompted Capello to go on the offensive. “He was blinded – that’s the truth,” said Capello.