Algeria, Yebda look to inspirational 1982 surprise team

HERZOGENAURACH - Going back into the annals of World Cup history, one of the biggest upsets came at Spain 1982 when Algeria defeated reigning European champions West Germany in the first round.

With the northern Africans back at the world’s largest sporting event for the first time in 24 years, the new crop of Algerians are using that 1982 team as a bit of inspiration for South Africa 2010.

“We are very, very proud of that team. They are very legendary players,” said Algeria midfielder Hassan Yebda about the 1982 team.

That squad, coached by Rachid Mekhloufi, opened their Group 2 action with a 2-1 upset of a West Germany side which featured such world class players as Toni Schumacher, Paul Breitner, Pierre Littbarski, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Felix Magath and Uli Stielike in the starting line-up as well as Lothar Matthaeus on the substitute bench.

Rabah Madjer gave Algeria the lead after 54 minutes in Gijon before Rummenigge equalised in the 67th minute. But Lakhar Belloumi answered just a minute later for the 2-1 lead, which Algerian keeper Mahdi Cerbah made hold up.

Mekhloufi’s men faltered in their next first round match, losing 2-0 to Austria. The Algerians bounced back to beat Chile 3-2 in their Group 2 closer - with Salah Assad scoring twice in the first 31 minutes in building a 3-0 lead after 35 minutes.

Algeria held on to win the game but watched Austria go through thanks to a better goal difference. Still, that did not stop the team from gaining its place in Algerian football history.

“We identify ourselves with them,” Yebda said of the 1982 team.

“Because when they played in 1982, it was the first time Algeria was at a World Cup. We feel a lot like them and have some of the same feelings as they did.”

That is not really a surprise when one considers that only four players on Algeria’s 23-man roster for South Africa were even born when the Algerians beat West Germany on June 16, 1982 - goalkeeper Lounes Gaouaoui (32), defender Antar Yahia (28), captain and midfielder Yazid Mansouri (32) and striker Rafik Saifi (35).

Midfielder Nadir Belhadj was born two days after the Algeria upset.

It may be a bit of a surprise that Yebda has such high praise and recognition of the 1982 team. On the one hand, he wasn’t born until May 1984. But he was also born in France - albeit to Algerian parents.

Although originally from the village of Taourirt Adene in the Kabylie region of Algeria, Yebda spent much of his youth in France and played for the French U16-U19 national teams from 2000 to 2004.

He was then discovered by the 1982 star striker Madjer, who had played a number of years in France and Portugal while also earning 87 caps and scoring 31 goals for Algeria.

Yebda, who had moved to Benfica in 2008 after four years in France with Auxerre and Le Mans, hit it off well with Madjer.

“We talked about a lot of things and I really appreciate my contact with him,” Yebda said of Madjer.

Madjer had a number of stints as head coach of the Algerian national team and recommended the Arab nation add Yebda to the national side.

That was not possible initially though as a rule in Algeria stated that players with multiple citizenship must choose a nation to represent by the age of 23. And Yebda had already chosen to play for France in the youth ranks - though he never played for Les Bleus’s seniors.

The Algerians would eventually abolish the rule and Yebda switched allegiances and was first nominated to play for the Fennecs - or Desert Foxes - in June 2009.

The rest as they say is history and Yebda now has big dreams of matching the huge upset of Madjer from 1982.