In a powder-keg atmosphere in Sudan, it only took three minutes for a brawl to break out between Algeria and Egypt and then just a minute later Hany Said saw his header saved by the Algerian keeper. On the quarter hour Algeria then saw Antar Yahia’s effort saved off the line following Ziani’s free-kick, and later in the half Egyptian keeper El Hadary was forced to tip over a difficult free-kick from underneath his bar. Five minutes before the break, after Egypt had looked in control, the Algerians went berserk as Antar Yahia met a cross at the back stick and smacked home a cracker from an acute angle.