The match between Egypt and Algeria in the Arab Cup did not disappoint, emerging as one of the strongest matches of the tournament, concluding the group stage on Tuesday evening. The Egyptian national team and their Algerian counterpart drew 1-1 in the top match of Group D, allowing both teams to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Algeria opened the scoring with a goal from Mohamed Amine Tougai in the 20th minute, before Egypt's captain Amr Solia equalized in the second half, in the 59th minute, from a penalty.
As for who topped the group, the two teams ended up equal in every aspect, including goals scored and conceded, as well as points, leading to the use of fair play rules, which depend on yellow cards.
Before the match, both teams had the same fair play points, with the Egyptian players receiving 3 yellow cards during the tournament, resulting in a deduction of 3 fair play points. The Algerian team had received one indirect red card, also resulting in a deduction of 3 points in the fair play record.
However, during the match, the Egyptian team received only 3 yellow cards, while the Algerian players received 4 yellow cards and one red card in the final seconds.
With this advantage of fewer cards, the Egyptian national team topped the group thanks to the "fair play" rules. In the quarter-finals, Egypt will face the Jordanian team, while Algeria will play against the Moroccan team in a North African showdown.
