That is all from me today! Thanks for joining me and make sure to tune if for our Afcon quarter-final coverage starting on Friday.

Algeria will face Nigeria on 10 January as their hunt for a third Afcon title continues. DR Congo will hope to pick their heads back up in time for the World Cup qualifiers in March.

121 min: Can DR Congo pick their heads up and get back in this?? It almost seems impossible ... two minutes added on.

120 min: What a moment! The noise in Rabat is unlike anything else. Elation for Algeria and absolute devastation for DR Congo.

117 min: Mbuku cuts inside and shoots but his left-footed strike is deflected and is basically straight to Zidane.

113 min: Algeria make their final two changes. Boudaoui and Chaibi off for Boulbina and Zerrouki. Think this is a change made with penalties in mind.

111 min: Mpasi gets down low to deny Chaibi’s strike at the near post. He then saves Bounedjah’s effort. Huge chances for Algeria!

110 min: Moutoussamy limps off and Pickel replaces him in DR Congo’s last change.

107 min: Algeria get another free-kick … which leads to very little. Tired legs and tired minds in Rabat.

106 min: After some team huddles, we are back again for another 15 minutes of play. If still no goals … penalties.

107 min: Algeria get a free kick from about 40 yards out. Hadj Moussa bends it towards Bensebaini but the header is straight at Mpasi … and that is the end of the first half of extra-time.

103 min: Now this is an example of fine margins in football. Bounedjah nearly gets to a cross but Mpasi collects … but he drops it! He is lucky a teammate nudges it back to him before a white shirt can get there.

101 min: Mahrez and Petković are deep in conversation on the touchline. A penny for their thoughts?

100 min: Bounedjah is through from the left but he just can’t get his foot under the ball properly and he can’t keep the ball on target. Mbemba is booked for a body check in the buildup to Algeria’s chance.

98 min: Algeria play around the box but they take too long to shoot and the ball is taken off them. Hadj Moussa tries to win the ball back but his flying tackle only sees him booked.

94 min: The first yellow card of the game goes to Belghali after clipping Balikwisha.

91 min: Here we go! There was lots of discussion on the touchlines with the two coaches and their players.

I think we are going to see a lot more direct football in these final 30 minutes. Only five shots on target between the two teams in the 90 minutes (Algeria with three and DR Congo with two).

90+1 min: DR CONGO ALMOST SNATCH IT AT THE DEATH! What a chance! A beautiful cross comes in for Mayele. He times his jump perfectly and heads the ball goalward but Abdelli also leaps in time to get a slight touch. Mayele can’t believe it!

The resulting corner is dealt with easily by Zidane.

90 min: Three minutes added. The ball is in the box Hadj Moussa to Chaibi … and the ball is nicked right off him.

87 min: Another double sub for DR Congo with Bakambu and Bongonda off for Mayele and Balikwisha.

86 min: From an Algeria corner, Mpasi parries it away before the ball falls to Amoura and then Hadj Moussa back-to-back. Two shots, two blocks! DR Congo playing dangerously here.

84 min: And that is Maza’s final touch of the ball. He comes off for Bounedjah, and the veteran gets huge cheers from the Algeria fans.

82 min: Wan-Bissaka’s foul gives Algeria another free-kick. Hadj Moussa and Chaibi standing over the ball. The latter swings it towards the back post and Maza heads it wide.

78 min: How have Algeria not scored?! Amoura does all the work, surging almost the length of the pitch. He checks his right side, doesn’t see any white shirts and curls a shot straight at Mpasi.

75 min: Wan-Bissaka wins a corner that leads to Bensebaini being on the ground again after the faintest of touches from Mbemba.

70 min: Big calls from Vladimir Petkovic here. Mahrez and Ait-Nouri are off for Hadj-Moussa and Belaid. DR Congo also make two changes with Kayembe and Kakuta coming on for Mukau and Sidiki.

68 min: Zidane is at the touchline getting some instructions as Chaibi and Mahrez stand over a free-kick on the right. Mahrez with the delivery swings it straight to goal and it sails over the bar.

66 min: Algeria enjoying some possession but the final ball is missing. Chaibi gets forward but Mpasi smothers the danger before he can get a shot off.

62 min: DR Congo make their first change. Mbuku makes way for Elia.

59 min: Corner comes in and it is flicked by Bakambu towards Mbemba at the far post who is in acres of space … he has a go but the shot is blocked by a diving Boudaoui. Close for DR Congo!

56 min: Congo race forward and win back-to-back corners as their supporters bounce up and down behind the goal. This second corner is delayed as Bensebaini gets treatment for the second time within a few minutes. The defender clashed with his own keeper and it seems his head was injured in the altercation. He has gone off for the time being. The corner awaits …

53 min: Boudaoui finds Chaibi but the cross is a bit behind him and the latter’s header lacks any power as it bobbles away.

51 min: Wan-Bissaka with a good cross on the right but Mandi makes a backwards clearance.

49 min: The replay shows Bennacer was holding his hamstring. The 2019 player of the tournament comes off for Abdelli.

47 min: Amoura is down after a pretty soft shove. Play continues and then a few moments later Bennacer is down. The latter is now actually receiving treatment and there is movement on the subs bench.

Second half: We are back underway! No changes for either side.

45 min: Just the one minute of added time after a cagey first half with a handful of chances.

43 min: Great strike! Algeria break and Maza’s low whistling shot goes just wide at the far post. Huge chance for the Bayer Leverkusen striker and on his weaker foot too!

39 min: DR Congo win a corner; the ball comes in and Zidane leaps and easily catches it. Or at least, he makes it look easy.

37 min: DR Congo finally get some good possession going and the boos and whistles ring out. No, we are not in Algiers but this Afcon has surprisingly seen a lot of north African solidarity. Moroccans will cheer for the Algerians … until they have to face them.

35 min: Tensions flaring a bit. Two fouls for both teams but the referee only stops play when the Algerian player goes down. Blue shirts surround the referee but no cards come out.

Peter Oh emails in: “Algeria may have the son of a legendary France No 10 in goal, but Congo have got a Lionel M between their sticks!”

30 min: Belghali again with a good low cross but it is cleared. Algeria are using the flanks well and have had 75% possession but DR Congo are doing what they can to keep the ball away as soon as it gets into the box.

26 min: Huge chance! Tuanzebe rises above everyone in the box and heads it goalward but the ball just lacks a final cure and it whips wide.

24 min: Aït-Nouri with a great drop of the shoulder in the box before the ball is cleared and then DR Congo are on the attack. Bakambu has support but he speeds forward and takes an angled shot from the right. Zidane gets a touch on it and it goes out for a corner.

21 min: How have Algeria not scored? The ball pings around the box before Mahrez controls it with a header. Belghali then turns and crosses it in but Mbema guides it out for a corner.

Mahrez’s corner lacks height and DR Congo clear easily.

20 min: Another Algeria free-kick and this time Chaibi takes it. A much better ball in and Moutoussamy with a crucial header away.

17 min: Mahrez takes the free-kick low and Mandi flicks it wide. Bensebaini yells in frustration. The Borussia Dortmund defender is 6ft 2in and you could see he was preparing for a cross that had more height on it.

16 min: Algeria win a corner outside the box on the right. Mahrez and Chaibi standing over it …

14 min: Mandi is now down … this has been very stop start so far. Replay shows Bakambu tripped over the forward when he was on the ground and accidentaly kneed his head. Play continues.

10 min: Algeria win their first corner … Bensebaini takes but it barely clears the first man. Amoura is now down and the replay shows his football boot came clean off during that corner. No foul, which is the right decision I think, and play continues with a DR Congo free-kick.

9 min: Chancel Mbemba is down receiving treatment. Would be a huge miss for DR Congo for their captain to be injured early but he seems to be OK.

7 min: For once, Mahrez’s touch lets him down! A great ball comes in over the top but the winger is almost through on goal but the ball bounces awkwardly off his foot.

4 min: An early free-kick for Algeria near their own box. The referee gives Bakambu a talking to for a shovw, and then kicking the ball away. He is claiming that he didn’t hear the whistle. No card but Adam emails in to say: “I think this will be a very physical game, lots of yellow cards and possibly reds for both teams. Hopefully the ref can control the game!”

1 min: DR Congo lost only match in 2025, a World Cup qualifier against Guinea. Algeria’s streak goes back even longer, Vladimir Petkovic losing his first game in charge back in 2024 against Guinea.

The teams are out, the national anthems are being sung and we are getting close to kick-off. The camera pans to Zinedine Zidane, whose son Luca is between the sticks for Algeria.

There are not as many DR Congo fans in Morocco but they are making their voice heard in Rabat. We see the fan who has gained social media virality for standing for all of DR Congo’s matches. He resembles the country’s first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, who led the country in 1960.

Yesterday’s ties saw Nigeria book their spot in the last-eight after their 4-0 rout of Mozambique.

There was tension on the pitch after Victor Osimhen confronted Ademola Lookman for not passing him the ball in the 63rd minute. The Galatasaray striker was on a hat-trick. The pair had to be separated by Mozambique players and Osimhen was booed off the pitch after his substitution. He went straight down the tunnel after the full-time whistle. Lookman downplayed the situation during his post-match media duties, saying: “There are no issues between me and Victor. It’s just football. He is my brother.”

The Super Eagles will play the winner of Algeria v DR Congo in their quarter-final on 10 January.

Egypt needed extra-time to get over the line in their 3-1 win over Benin. Marwan Attia’s fine finish from the edge of the box in the 69th minute but, against the run of play, Benin clawed one back after Junior Olaitan’s deflected cross wrong-footed Mohamed El Shenawy, who could barely push the ball off his line. The rebound found an alert Jodel Dossou who hammered home the loose ball.

Yasser Ibrahim’s looping header was the winner early on in extra-time before Mohamed Salah sped away in the final minute to seal the win with an outside of the boot curling finish. The seven-time champions await the winner of Côte d’Ivoire v Burkina Faso.