Algeria coach Majid Bougherra was furious after counting 9 minutes of added time, but in the end he celebrated by scoring the goal of reaching the Arab Cup final in the 17th minute of added time.
Algeria advanced with a goal by Djamel Belamri (59), and was on its way to victory, before the referee counted 9 minutes as added time, and Qatar took advantage of the matter and equalized in the seventh minute of this time by substitute striker Mohamed Muntari.
Algeria players protested for a long time at the goal, and two players received two warnings, before the confrontation resumed, and Youssef Belaili later succeeded in achieving the qualifying goal after he followed up a penalty kick that he himself missed, to become the winner of a date with Tunisia in the final expected on Saturday.
"I was very sad after the referee counted 9 minutes, which is unbelievable," Bougherra said. "The (fourth) referee told me that he will refer to 9 minutes as added time as if it were negotiations. The lost time cannot be 9 minutes."
He continued, "I told the referee that you managed the match well (apart from lost time). How many minutes have we reached in lost time? 19 minutes."
"I felt very happy after scoring the goal. Only God can determine the winner," added the coach, who coaches Algeria's national team.
Bougherra, the former international defender of the "Desert Warriors", called for fair arbitration in such important matches.
He concluded, "It is impossible to count the additional 9 minutes, at this level the refereeing must be fair, and this point was somewhat the embarrassing point in the match."
African champion Algeria will try to add a new title to its tally when it faces Tunisia in a summit between two North African teams tomorrow, Saturday, in the Arab World Cup.