ALGERIAN legend, Lakhdar Belloumi says the Desert Foxes can beat Nigeria in next month's Russia 2018 World Cup African qualifiers in Uyo.
Belloumi told FIFA that: "Algeria have a great footballing history.
"We’ve defeated Nigeria more than once. We beat them on their own patch in 1981 and in Libya in 1982. My message to Riyad Mahrez and Co, therefore, is that winning on 12 November is certainly not impossible. On the contrary, I believe the Nigerians will be the ones under pressure as they’re at home and playing in front of their own fans.
“I watched their game against Zambia. They’re not a daunting or unbeatable team, by any means. Our team is very strong. For me, the draw against Cameroon was just a misstep. And we mustn’t forget that Cameroon have a great team and a long World Cup history, and that we’ve never beaten them in an official match. Let’s put that slip-up behind us and concentrate on picking up three points in Nigeria.”
Before signing off, the ex-Algeria No10 concluded on a positive and confident note: “We will win if we impose our style of play. Our team is powerful and united, and with a little bit of desire and heart, we can return home with three points in the bag.”
Belloumi also reflected how he nailed Nigeria's Green Eagles, making Algeria to seal a spot at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
The Foxes defeated Nigeria in both legs.
played a key role in his team’s triumph, scoring four goals in the qualifying campaign, two of which came against Nigeria – one in the away match in Lagos and the other in the decisive home encounter in Constantine.
“I was in the form of my life against Nigeria away, scoring one and setting up another,” Belloumi, renowned for his magical passing ability in the 1980s, told FIFA.
“I scored again in Constantine and passed the ball to Rabah Madjer, who grabbed the second goal. With the help of my team-mates, I had a big influence on those two games. I also remember that I was the top scorer overall, getting 6 of our 16 goals.”
The African football icon believes Algeria’s reverse at the hands of the Nigerians in the 1980 Cup of Nations could be regarded as a blessing in disguise, as it motivated him and his team-mates to exact revenge the following year. “Losing that final affected us badly, because it was extremely difficult to win the Cup of Nations back then. But we knew we had a better team and that they wouldn’t beat us again, even if the match were replayed ten times. A year and half later, we beat them home and away and made it to the World Cup.”
