EL ANSCHLUSS, ALGERIA, AUSTRIA

Formed in 1962 and was based in the nation capital, Algiers. It has jurisdiction on the nation's football league and is in charge of the nationa's men's and women's teams. Although an unofficial national team had played fixtures since 1958, the first recognized international took place in January 1963, some six months after independence. In 2021, twenty structures were added to the Algerian Football Federation. The Algerian Football Federation is considered a member of FIFA.

Algeria was one of the strongest football nations in Africa and in 1980 they had been runners up in the African Cup of Nations. Two years later, they were fourth and the nation boasted two dangerous attackers, Rabah Madjer and African footballer of the year Lakhdar Belloumi. Few people expected their team to beat the European reigning champions, West Germany, in the opening match of the 1982 World Cup Finals....well they did!!! Belloumi set up Madjer for their opening goal and thern scored the winner in a 2-1 beating of the Germans. Even Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, European footballer of the year could not help!

The next set of results in their group were: Austria 2 beat Chile 1 and then Algeria 2-0. The West Germans then thumped Chile 4-1. who in turn beat Algeria 3-2. This meant that Algeria became the first African side to win TWO matches at a World Cup. Algeria had been leading 3-0 at half time but conceding the two later goals left the "door ajar" for West Germany, who would otherwise been out of the competition.

All the Germans had to do was beat Austria which would have put Algeria out of the competition.

After 11 minutes Horst Hrubesch bundled a goal that the Germans needed and for 80 minutes they protested their lead. The Algerians were not happy and seeing the game drawing to a close condemned the match as a "sinister plot" and demanded that both teams be disqualified for "cheating". Austria manager Georg Schmidt confessed that the action was shameful but German coach Jupp Derwall

said "We came to make progress, not play football!!" The match did provide one service to football which was that FIFA abandoned staggered (time wise) final group matches, which had allowed teams playing later with knowledge of what they needed to do to progress!