Zidane concedes five, Algeria beat Jordan but Doha turns ugly

Zidane shipped five in two, and the ball might be part of it

Luca Zidane has conceded five goals across Algeria's two World Cup group matches so far, including Lionel Messi's opener in the 3–0 defeat to Argentina and Nizar al-Rashdan's strike for Jordan (1). The Guardian reports that the Trionda World Cup ball becomes unstable at certain speeds, causing it to dip unpredictably and making life harder for goalkeepers across the tournament (1). Senegal's Édouard Mendy and Iraq's Ahmed Basil have also struggled with it.

Algeria beat Jordan, but Doha turned ugly

Algeria got the win they needed against Jordan to keep their World Cup alive (2). But after the final whistle, a violent brawl broke out between Algerian and Jordanian supporters in Qatar, reported by RMC Sport (2). Details on what sparked the clashes are still thin.

The Kansas City scenario looms

Kicker is already asking whether Algeria's final group match against Austria could turn into a repeat of the 1982 'Shame of Gijón' (3). If both sides know a specific result suits them, the incentive to play a mutually convenient scoreline is there. No one at the tournament has addressed the possibility publicly yet.

Fan-reaktioner

The mood in Algerian corners of Reddit is tense, partly because Bosnia's qualification as a third-place team has sharpened the math in Group J. Fans are doing the arithmetic on what Algeria need against Austria, and the 'Schande von Kansas City' chatter from the German press has landed exactly as feared: nobody wants their team in that conversation. See the thread.