Algeria pulled off ‘perfect move’ – Fiston Mayele

The tie appeared destined for a penalty shoot-out before substitute Adil Boulbina struck moments before the final whistle, sending the North Africans through to the quarterfinals, where they will face Nigeria.

Speaking after the match, a deflated Mayele revealed the sense of disappointment inside the DR Congo dressing room, admitting the late goal made the defeat particularly painful to take.

"It was really total chaos because we gave it everything we had. We already knew it was gonna be a tough match, they kept possession of the ball well and so did we. Before half time we tried to create chances and everything but we couldn't put it in the net," Mayele said.

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Mayele, who came off the bench but failed to have the desired impact, described the winning goal from Boulbina as the “perfect move”.

"And in the end we kept working and everything, then they pulled off a perfect move at the end of the match. We accept the defeat and look forward to the future for us in this competition, the AFCON. We wanted to go very far, I don't know but that's not how it turned out," he added.

DR Congo can still make it to the joint FIFA World Cup in Mexico, Canada and USA later this year by winning the play-offs, and Mayele says that’s the focus now.

"Now we have to stay focused for March because we have a match to qualify for the World Cup."