POLOKWANE, South Africa(AP) Robert Koren scored a late goal Sunday to give Slovenia a 1-0 win over 10-man Algeria and first place in Group C of the World Cup, ahead of the United States and England.
Koren scored with a long-range shot that Algeria goalkeeper Fawzi Chaouchi misjudged and allowed to bounce into the net off his arm in the 79th minute.
Algeria substitute Abdelkader Ghezzal was sent off in the 72nd, picking up a second yellow card for handling the ball inside the Slovenian penalty area.
Algeria twice came close in the first half when Nadir Belhadj's 25-yard free kick forced Slovenia goalkeeper Samir Handanovic to stretch and push the ball over the crossbar, and defender Rafik Halliche headed just wide.
Both sides knew they were heading into a match in which a loss would be costly, with tough games against England and the United States left on the schedule. The Group C favorites tied 1-1 Saturday after a blunder by England goalkeeper Robert Green allowed a Clint Dempsey shot to trickle into the net.
The players seemed nervous in the first half, frequently losing possession with inaccurate passes and crosses.
Slovenia's only scoring chance before the break was Valter Birsa's long-range attempt in the 43rd minute, tipped over the bar with a spectacular right-hand save by Chaouchi.
There was some commotion in the stands during the break when former French great Zinedine Zidane, who is of Algerian descent, was forced to climb to a higher section to get away from autograph-seeking fans who were pushed back briskly by security guards.
Algeria beat North African rival Egypt in a tense playoff to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. Slovenia reached its second World Cup with an upset playoff victory over Russia.
Slovenia faces the U.S. next while Algeria travels to Cape Town to take on England.
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