**Riot police in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, pushed back a violent demonstration near the Algerian embassy in the early hours of Friday.**Egyptian protesters reportedly hurled firebombs at police protecting the embassy and overturned a police van.
Egypt’s Interior Ministry said 35 people were injured.
The clashes stem from Egypt’s defeat by Algeria in a World Cup qualifying match on Wednesday.
On Thursday night around 1,000 Egyptians burned Algerian flags in a street near the Algerian embassy.
The protests continued into the morning, with 15 cars reported damaged, along with a number of shops. The ministry said 11 police officers were among the injured.
“We should treat Algeria like any country that has declared war on us”
Amr Higazi
University student
Algeria beat Egypt 1-0 in a play-off in Sudan, to clinch the last African spot for the finals in South Africa next year.
Protesters were incensed by reports that Egyptian fans at the match had been attacked as they left the stadium.
“We should treat Algeria like any country that has declared war on us,” university student Amr Higazi told Agence France Presse.
The BBC’s Christian Fraser in Cairo says demonstrations like this are normally broken up well before they begin.
Diplomatic spat
Egypt’s foreign ministry had summoned the Algerian Ambassador to hear complaints about reports of attacks on Egyptian fans in Khartoum and on Egyptian businesses in Algeria.
FOOTBALL FALL-OUT
- 1978: Egyptian team recalled part-way through All Africa Games in Algeria after brawl following win over Libya. Algerian spectators joined in on Libyan side
- 1989: Egypt beat Algeria to reach Italia 90. After the match, midfielder Lakhdar Belloumi blinded the Egyptian team doctor with a bottle
- 1990: Egypt refused to send its team to African Nations Cup in Algeria
- 2009: Striker Hossam Hassan and brother Ibrahim Hassan banned indefinitely by Fifa after a brawl following a club game in Algeria
Crunch time for Egypt and Algeria
The Egyptian ambassador in Algiers was than recalled “for consultations”.
Sudan has also summoned the Egyptian envoy in Khartoum, angry at Egyptian media coverage of the game’s aftermath.
The Egyptian government alleges 21 of its citizens were attacked after the match, but Sudan says many fewer were injured.
The teams needed the play-off in a neutral country to decide on qualification after the final group match between them on Saturday saw Egypt win 2-0, meaning the two teams finished tied at the top of the group with equal points and identical goal difference.
World football governing body Fifa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Egypt after the Algerian team bus was pelted with stones in Cairo before the match.
Three Algerian players were injured by rocks thrown as they arrived.
Violence between Egypt and Algeria fans flared up across four countries.