PHOTOS: The Thrill and Agony of World Cup Qualifying Matches · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

A few do-or-die matches to qualify for the 2014 World Cup were played worldwide last week in Africa and Europe. Despite the of-repeated claim that those games are just that, games, how people behave before and after some matches show that there is a little more at stake that what everyone would like it to be.
Here are reactions caught on film from four of those deciding matches, which ended in complete elation for Algeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon and France, while Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ukraine and Tunisia saw their hopes of heading to Brazil vanish with the final whistle.
Algeria vs. Burkina Faso
Algeria qualified thanks to a late goal scored on Burkina Faso in additional time.
The crowd in Algiers felt the World Cup fever, as seen in this photo by Twitter user Bilel.:
Photo prise en Algérie, on est tellement a fond #AlgeriePresenteAuBresil ma gueule ! pic.twitter.com/0lkbz76pnf
— Bilel. (@BilelB_) November 19, 2013
Photo taken in Algeria, we are totally invested in this #AlgeriainBrazil, my face!
Algerian bloggers added humor to the joy of qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil:
loool #AlgeriePresenteAuBresil pic.twitter.com/L8YTbiUDYo
— Ana Djazairi Mahboul (@DjalilYougo) November 20, 2013
The tension during the first leg of the match-up on October 12 led some supporters to resort to racial insults towards the black referee, as captured in these screenshots by Paulin Diasivi:
Pendant le match Burkina vs Algerie qlq twitt raciste des supporteurs algeriens pic.twitter.com/d5MSIhFEjv
— Paulin Diasivi (@paulindias) October 14, 2013
During the match Burkina vs Algeria, some racists tweets by Algerian supporters
Côte d'Ivoire vs. Senegal
Côte d'Ivoire was also involved in late game drama when they managed to tie Senegal in Dakar 1-1 to qualify. The joy was visible in the team's dance as the game came to an end:
C'est fini la Côte d'Ivoire arrache sa qualification après 90 mn de suspens, les Elephant seront au Brésil. pic.twitter.com/NsYMblqE7G
— Anaky Yannick (@YannickAnaky) November 16, 2013
Côte d'Ivoire pull out a win after 90 minutes of play, the Elephants will go to Brazil
Brésil on arrive #Team225 pic.twitter.com/T9utitCPgT
— éléphants au Brésil (@Le_TonTon_) November 19, 2013
Brazil, here we come
Cameroon vs. Tunisia
Cameroon's World Cup play-off win over Tunisia was less dramatic with a 4-1 victory. Still, there was a bit controversy as Tunisia claims that two Cameroonian players were not eligible to play. Yaoundé, the economic capital of Cameroon, nevertheless was still beaming with pride after the win:
Le Cameroun vas en coupe du monde >>>> pic.twitter.com/qJNZvNVq6F
— Indomptable (@Andy_CMR) November 17, 2013
Cameroon is heading to the World Cup
Given the political dissidence in Tunisia, some supporters may not be as sad as expected with the elimination of their national team. The current government is quite unpopular within  the country's secular community because of stricter religious measures, and a win for the country's football team could have been seen as a win for the government :
Cameroun 4-1 Tunisie, les gens hypocrites “sur twitter” vs “chez eux” avouez … PTDRRR pic.twitter.com/pYUpqOMnE0
— LiliaAyew⚪️Ⓜ️ (@LiliaKapoor) November 17, 2013
Cameroon 4-1 Tunisia, the hypocrites on “Twitter” [ed's note: pretend to be sad while cheering the elimination of Tunisia] vs. “at home”, fess up now…LOL
France vs. Ukraine
France had the deepest hole to climb out of to qualify after they lost the first leg 2-0 against Ukraine. In an miraculous come back, France won 3-0 in the second leg of the match-up, prompting raucous celebration from French fans and shows of despair from Ukrainian supporters:
Ce soir, le Stade de France a vibré ! Les IMAGES dans les tribunes >http://t.co/CUWYlTQFXa #FRAUKR #Bresil #CM2014 pic.twitter.com/WuEf9UnX6D
— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) November 20, 2013
Tonight, the stadium was shaking! The images from the crowd #Brazil
The Rueter's photog who posted up next to these Ukraine fans struck gold… http://t.co/rRo7pkKbZg pic.twitter.com/gxirTLir8v
— American Fútbol (@futbolmovie) November 19, 2013