As the strained group matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup continued to be played out before a jittery world audience, countries and fans remained steadfast in support of their national teams.  The 32 national football (soccer) teams that had qualified were put under increased pressure to play well and score, in order to wrap up enough points to advance into the next World Cup round (Round of 16).  This was no different for the third match of FIFA's Group C, as England played Algeria on June 18, 2010 at the Green Point stadium in Cape Town, South Africa.

England and Algerian fans had staked much on the game, which followed England's blundered tie against the USA and Algeria's abysmal loss to Slovenia.  As such, there was as much hype built up for the game as during the previous matches involving the respective teams.  England and Algeria had never faced before in a World Cup, and so hopes were raised on both sides.  England has had a much better "track record", having played 55 games, of which it won 25, tied 17, and lost 13.  Algeria can only attest to having played 6 games, of which it won 2, tied 1, and lost 3.

England’s best performance was in 1966, when Geoff Hurst scored 3 goals in the last four minutes against West Germany, leaving the score 4:2 and England the winners of the World Cup.  England’s worst performance was in 1950, when it lost 1:0 to the USA.

Algeria's best performance was in 1982, when it beat West Germany; well-placed goals from Algerian players Lahkdar Belloumi and Rabah Madjer would be one of the most shocking events in World Cup history.  Algeria’s worst performance was being thrown out of the tournament in 1982, even though they had beaten Chile, due to the West Germany-Austria scandal.

England was favoured to win the match beforehand based on the statistics of its qualifying matches, although it needed an improvement over the performance it showed in its last match against the USA.   Ironically, that same last match against the USA began to look much better as the England VS. Algeria game progressed.

Match Overview

The England National Football Team, also known as the Three Lions.  From top left: Emile Heskey (Forward), John Terry (Defense), David James (Goalkeeper), Gareth Barry (Defender) and Frank Lampard (Midfield).  From bottom left:  Aaron Lennon (Midfield), Steven Gerrard (c) (Midfield), Jamie Carragher (Defender), Glen Johnson (Defense), Wayne Rooney (Forward), Ashley Cole (Defense). (Image Source)

The Algerian National Football Team.  From top left: Hassen Yebda (Midfielder), Madjid Bougherra (Defender), Rafik Halliche (Defender), Rais M'Bolhi (Goalkeeper), Antar Yahia (Defender).  From bottom left: Karim Matmour (Forward), Riad Boudebouz (Defender), Karim Ziani (Midfielder), Foued Kadir (Midfielder), Medhi Lacen (Midfielder), Nadir Belhadj (Defender). (Image Source)

Match Highlights

England Defender Gareth Barry jumps over a tackle by Algerian Defender Riad Boudebouz.  The England VS. Algeria match was Gareth Barry's first appearance in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. (Image Source)

England Defender Jamie Carragher, England Defender Gareth Barry and England Midfielder Frank Lampard of England challenge Algerian Striker Karim Matmour.  It was probably one of the few times in the match that England's players were able to cohesively operate together. (Image Source)

England Striker Wayne Rooney is closely pursued by Algerian Defender Madjid Bougherra. Rooney has yet to score in his last nine games, although his passes and shots are increasing with every game. (Image Source)

The ball clears Algerian Goalkeeper Rais M'Bolhi, Algerian Defender Madjid Bougherra and England Striker Wayne Rooney, landing on top of the net. (Image Source)

Top: England Goalkeeper David James reacting during the match.  The England VS. Algeria match was David James' first game in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, after replacing Robert Green, who's blunder gave the USA a tie in their match against England (Image Source) - Cover Photo.  Bottom: England Goalkeeper David James makes a good save during the match. (Image Source)

Match Aftermath

The badly-played match ended in a 0:0 stalemate.  England was hugely disappointed in not winning against Algeria, the lowest ranked team in the group (30th), while Algeria was content with the result.  Optimistically, unlike other great world teams like Germany and Spain, England remains unbeaten.  Point-wise, however, this is not much of a consolation, as England requires a peak performance in their next game against Slovenia to advance.  The match left England needing a win against Slovenia (the next game), or a tie with Slovenia, outscoring the US by three goals, and the US tying with Algeria (their next game).  Algeria, which began on a ragged start, needs a bit more of a push forwards.  The match left Algeria needing a win against the USA (the next game), Slovenia winning or tying against England, or Algeria winning against the USA, Slovenia losing to England, and making up tiebreakers on Slovenia.

Of the match, Algerian Coach Rabah Saadane has said, "We played our game of short passes and skills.  England didn't have its day."

Of the match, England Midfielder Steven Gerrard (c) has said, "We weren't aggressive enough.  We never won the ball back enough...We weren't good enough in the final third to get the breakthrough.  We've got no excuses.  We know the job we've got to go and do - we've got to win the last game against Slovenia."

Read More About The 2010 FIFA World Cup Matches, Covered By The Same Author:

Spain VS. Netherlands

England VS. Germany

England VS. Slovenia

England VS. USA

Read DeeBee's Article On The FIFA Women's World Cup:

The FIFA Women's World Cup Tournament

© 2010 Gregory Markov