Portugal is through to the knockout rounds of the men’s Olympic soccer tournament, and secured their result on Wednesday through less than deserved means. They were gifted a penalty early in their match against Algeria, converted it and did enough to hang on to a 1-1 draw. That was more than enough to keep them on top of their group.
Portugal vs. Algeria 2016: Final score 1-1, the Portuguese advance in 1st place
A gift of a penalty helped Portugal to a result in the men’s Olympic soccer tournament.
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The penalty was given in the 23rd minute when Algeria goalkeeper Oussama Methazem was whistled for tripping Carlos Mane. Unfortunately, the referee got the call wrong -- Methazem got all ball and barely touched Mane at all. The Fennec Foxes were furious, yelling and flailing in the face of the official, but he didn’t change his call. Gonçalo Paciência stepped up and scored, putting Portugal on top.
Mohammed Benkablia fired Algeria back into the match five minutes later with an impressive individual effort from the edge of the box. He beat multiple defenders with his dribbling skills, then curled a shot into the top corner.
Algeria pushed for a winner throughout the game, generating 18 shots in the process, but couldn’t find another goal. Portugal will go to the quarterfinals as a top seed, while Honduras joins them from their group in second place.
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