Algeria secure League A place despite Oman draw as Cote d’Ivoire suffer U15 setback

Algeria secured a place in League A of the U15 World Cup despite being held to a 3-3 draw by Oman in their final group match.

The Fennecs had been perfect in their opening four games, beating Argentina 1-0 on Saturday before recording victories over Suriname 5-0 and Taiwan 5-0 on Sunday. They then defeated Malawi 4-0 earlier on Monday.

However, Algeria were unable to complete a clean sweep when they faced Oman at Hovsan in Azerbaijan later the same day. The result ended their winning run but kept them unbeaten throughout the group stage.

Abdelkarim Meharzi, the team’s leading scorer from Olympique Akbou, scored once against Oman to take his tournament tally to nine goals.

Algeria finished top of Group B with 13 points from a possible 15. Their unbeaten record and first-place finish earned them qualification for League A, where they will compete for the first U15 World Cup title.

Cote d’Ivoire, meanwhile, were relegated to League B after losing their decisive Group Y fixture against Albania 2-0.

The result ended the Elephanteaux’s own perfect start to the competition and prevented them from continuing their challenge for what would have been a historic title. At best, they can now compete for 33rd place.

The side managed by Gnamin Souh Kouame Matiriel had opened the tournament with four successive wins. They defeated Rwanda 5-0, the Turks and Caicos Islands 6-0, Vanuatu 11-0 and Mauritania 5-0 before their final-day defeat by Albania.

Algeria’s draw with Oman and Cote d’Ivoire’s loss therefore produced contrasting outcomes for two teams that had both entered their concluding fixtures with unbeaten records. While the Algerians retained their route into League A, Cote d’Ivoire must now continue in League B.