Algeria pips Egypt 1-0 to book Africa's last World Cup place

It has taken three matches between the Algeria and Egypt but finally the last of Africa's five groups has produced a winner.

Both teams finished the group qualifiers with 13 points each and a goal difference of 5 points which meant a plyoff was needed to determine the group winner and it was a stunning first-half strike by defender Antar Yahya that crushed Egyptian dreams and booked Algeria's ticket to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Algeria joins Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Ghana and hosts South Africa as africa's representatives at the World Cup.

Egypt had majority of possession but lacked the bite upfront, while Algeria always looked dangerous on the break.

Yahya's 39th minute winner came against the run of play when he took advantage of a lapse in concentration by Egypt's defenders to hit a perfect volley in off the underside of the crossbar with his right foot from an acute angle.

The win means Algeria will make their first appearance at a World Cup since 1986 and once again highlighted Egypt's inability to carry their impressive form in Africa - they have won the African Cup a record six times - into World Cup qualification tournaments.