By FRANCO PANIZO
Portsmouth has not had the best of seasons, but Algerian defender Nadir Belhadj helped the struggling club continue its improbable run towards the FA Cup final.
Belhadj started and played 90 minutes in a quarterfinal tilt against Birminghamon Saturday, and his peformance was part of the reason Portsmouth posted a cleansheet in a 2-0 victory. The win booked Pompey a date at Wembley Stadium next month, where it will play either Fulham or Tottenham in the tournament's semifinals.
Slovenian forward Milivoje Novakovic and defender Miso Brecko also helped their club, FC Cologne, earn an impressive result. Playing against first-place Bayern Munich, FC Cologne mustered a 1-1 draw that prevented it from dropping closer to the relegation zone. Novakovic and Brecko each started and went the distance in the match.
Here is how the Algerians and Slovenians Abroad did this weekend:
ALGERIA
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
- Defender Nadir Belhadj started and played 90 minutes in Portsmouth's 2-0 win vs. Birmingham in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup on Saturday.
- Midfielder Hassan Yebda did not dress in Portsmouth's 2-0 win vs. Birmingham in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup on Saturday.
- Forward Kamel Ghilas dressed but did not play in Hull City's 5-1 loss vs. Everton on Sunday.
ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP
- Forward Hameur Bouazza did not dress in Blackpool's 1-0 win vs. Ipswich Town on Saturday.
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
- Defender Madjid Bougherra did not dress in Rangers' 3-1 win vs. St Mirren on Saturday.
- Defender Ismael Bouzid did not dress in Heart of Midlothian's 1-0 loss vs. Dundee United on Sunday.
SPANISH LA LIGA
- Midfielder Mehdi Lacen came off the bench and played 7 minutes in Racing Santander's 0-0 draw vs. Valencia on Monday.
ITALIAN SERIE A
- Midfielder Abdelkader Ghezzal started and played 52 minutes in Siena's 1-1 draw vs. Parma on Sunday.
- Midfielder Mourad Meghni did not dress in Lazio's 2-1 loss vs. Sampdoria on Sunday.
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
- Defender Antar Yahia dressed but did not play in VfL Bochum's 4-1 loss vs. VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday.
- Midfielder Karim Matmour came off the bench and played 27 minutes in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 3-0 loss vs. Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
- Midfielder Karim Ziani did not dress in VfL Wolfsburg's 4-1 win vs. VfL Bochum on Saturday.
- Forward Chadli Amri did not dress in Mainz's 1-0 win vs. TSG Hoffenheim on Sunday.
BUNDESLIGA 2
- Forward Noureddine Daham did not dress in TUS Koblenz's 2-0 loss vs. RW Oberhausen on Friday.
FRENCH LIGUE 1
- Midfielder Yazid Mansouri did not dress in Lorient's 1-1 draw vs. Olympique Marseille on Sunday.
PORTUGUESE LIGA SAGRES
- Defender Rafik Halliche did not dress in CD Nacional Madeira's 2-0 loss vs. Guimaraes on Monday.
GREEK SUPER LEAGUE
- Forward Rafik Djebbour started and played 66 minutes in AEK Athens' 1-0 loss vs. Larissa on Saturday.
- Midfielder Salim Arrache did not dress in PAS Giannina's 1-0 win vs. Asteras Tripoli on Monday.
SLOVENIA
ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP
- Defender Suad Filekovic did not dress in Barnsley's 6-1 loss vs. Newcastle United on Saturday.
- Midfielder Robert Koren dressed but did not play in West Bromwich Albion's 3-1 loss vs.Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
ITALIAN SERIE A
- Goalkeeper Samir Handanovic started, played 90 minutes and made one save in Udinese's 0-0 draw vs. Atalanta on Sunday.
- Defender Bojan Jokic came off the bench and played 8 minutes in Chievo Verona's 1-0 loss vs. Bari on Sunday.
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
- Forward Milivoje Novakovic started and played 90 minutes in FC Cologne's 1-1 draw vs. Bayern Munich on Saturday.
- Defender Miso Brecko started and played 90 minutes in FC Cologne's 1-1 draw vs. Bayern Munich on Saturday.
- Forward Zlatko Dedic came off the bench and played 45 minutes in VfL Bochum's 4-1 loss vs. VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday.
BUNDESLIGA 2
- Defender Matej Mavric started and played 90 minutes in TUS Koblenz's 2-0 loss vs. RW Oberhausen on Friday.
- Midfielder Goran Sukalo did not dress in FC Augsburg's 3-0 win vs. SC Paderborn 07 on Sunday.
FRENCH LIGUE 1
- Defender Bostjan Cesar started and played 90 minutes in Grenoble's 1-1 draw vs. Le Mans on Sunday.
- Forward Valter Birsa came off the bench and played 18 minutes in AJ Auxerre's 1-0 win vs. Valenciennes on Saturday.
DUTCH EREDIVISIE
- Midfielder Dalibor Stevanovic did not dress in Vitesse Arnhem's 1-1 draw vs. ADO Den Haag on Saturday.
PORTUGUESE LIGA SAGRES
- Midfielder Nejc Pecknik came off the bench and played 57 minutes in CD Nacional de Madeira's 2-0 loss vs. Guimaraes on Monday.
GREEK SUPER LEAGUE
- Midfielder Aleksander Radosavljevic did not dress in Larissa's 1-0 win vs. AEK Athens on Saturday. He was suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
- Midfielder Mirnes Sisic started and played 90 minutes in PAS Giannina's 1-0 win vs. Asteras Tripoli on Sunday.
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What do you think of these performances? Any player(s) you're particularly worried about? Think Belhadj is capable of shutting down one of the U.S. attackers? Wondering if Novakovic and Brecko will be troublesome for the U.S.?
Share your thoughts below.