Algeria – Netherlands: Argentine media raises alarm ahead of the World Cup

03.06.26 FT Friendly International

Netherlands

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Algeria

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The Argentine press widely covered the prestigious victory secured by the Algerian national team on Wednesday night against the Netherlands (1-0), in a friendly match played at De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam.

The only goal of the match came in the 86th minute from Anis Hadj Moussa. The Algerian forward made the most of a perfect assist from Nabil Bentaleb to deliver a hugely valuable win for the Fennecs against one of the giants of European football.

What the Argentine press is saying after Algeria's feat against the Netherlands

Argentine media reacted closely to this performance from Vladimir Petkovic's side, especially since Algeria will be Argentina's first opponent at the 2026 World Cup.

The renowned sports daily Olé, a reference point for sports journalism in Argentina, headlined: "Warning before the opening match: Algeria pulls off a shock and beats the Netherlands."

The paper highlighted that the Fennecs pulled off a true feat by winning on Dutch soil against one of the favorites for the upcoming World Cup. According to the Argentine outlet, this victory shows that Algeria will be a formidable opponent and should under no circumstances be underestimated.

Olé also put the spotlight on the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Luca Zidane, who produced several decisive saves that were key to Algeria's success.

Meanwhile, ESPN Argentina covered the match under the headline: "Algeria, Argentina's World Cup group rival, stuns the Netherlands and wins friendly," noting that the Algerian team displayed great solidity and strong character just days ahead of the tournament's kick-off.

For its part, TyC Sports emphasized the significance of this result for Argentina, stressing that Vladimir Petkovic's men confirmed their ability to compete with the world's best sides after taking down one of European football's major powers.

As a reminder, captain Riyad Mahrez and his teammates will compete in Group J at the 2026 World Cup, alongside Argentina, Austria, and Jordan.

Algeria: Anis Hadj Moussa opens his goal tally with the Fennecs

Mohamed Rek |

Editorfr, ar, en

Mohamed Rek- sports content writer with over 10 years of experience creating football content in Arabic and French for platforms such as Foot Africa and Starafrica, combining accuracy, creativity, and audience engagement.

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