Nadhir Benbouali enjoyed an excellent season in ETO colors, finishing the title-winning campaign with 19 goals and 6 assists in 41 matches. His outstanding performances earned him a place at the World Cup. Algeria suffered a 3–0 defeat in their opening match against Argentina, courtesy of a Lionel Messi hat-trick. Benbouali did not feature in that game.

In the second group match, Algeria took on Jordan in search of their first win. Our striker came on at half-time with his team trailing 1–0. Then, in the 69th minute, came something we have seen so many times before: Benbouali equalized for his country with a header.

With this goal, Nadhir Benbouali became the second World Cup goalscorer in ETO history. Lázár Szentes scored the first goal by a Győr player at the 1982 World Cup against El Salvador. Overall, Benbouali became the fourth ETO player to appear on football’s biggest stage. Lázár Szentes did so in 1982, Péter Hannich in 1986, and Peter Sullivan in 1990, representing their respective national teams. In addition, Béla Kárpáti was a member of the Golden Team squad in 1954, while Gyula Hajszán was part of the squad in 1986. Nadhir Benbouali has now joined this distinguished list.

Algeria eventually won the match against Jordan 2–1, taking a major step toward the round of 16. We are proud of our player and proud to continue writing the history books.