Algeria set sights on major improvement from 2010

Two successive World Cup appearances would have seemed almost impossible a decade ago but Algeria have made a swift return from the doldrums to again take a prominent role in African football.

They now have high hopes of getting past the group stage in Brazil, having set themselves the ambitious target of a place in the knockout round at the fourth attempt.

Drawn with Belgium, Russia and South Korea, their prospects might seem slim but are markedly better than four years ago when they failed to score a goal in South Africa and finished bottom of their group.

Civil and political turmoil coupled with years of poor returns for the Algerian national side had left the Arabic-speaking country a pale shadow of the team that had been among the early standard-bearers for the African game and had beaten West Germany at 1982 World Cup.

They fell victim to one of the darker passages of play in World Cup history. Because of the way the group results had fallen, Austria and West Germany met in the last match knowing exactly what they had to do for both German-speaking neighbors to advance at Algeria’s expense.