FAR Rabat suffer unexpected loss

2008-02-06

The 17th round of the Moroccan Premier League football tournament saw several draws and a loss by table leaders FAR Rabat.

By Naoufel Cherkaoui for Magharebia in Rabat – 06/02/08

[File] FAR Rabat suffered an upset at the hands of Difaa El Jadida on Friday (February 1st) when Difaa's Reda Riahi took Rabat's defence by surprise with a successful shot on goal in the 56th minute.

Round 17 of Morocco's top football tournament passed with a series of draws and one surprising upset: FAR Rabat's 1-0 loss at home to Difaa El Jadida on Friday (February 1st).

The first half of the match saw mediocre play by both sides, with no scoring attempts by either team. When the hosts turned their performance around, Difaa El Jadida's Reda Riahi took the Rabat defence by surprise, scoring a goal in the 56th minute. FAR kept up pressure on the visiting team for the remainder of the match, but their concentration and accuracy were lacking and they failed to convert any of their scoring opportunities into an equaliser.

The most hotly contested match of the round was between Maghreb Tetouan and Raja Casablanca, which ultimately ended in a goalless draw. Errors by both teams created scoring opportunities during the first half, but neither Sanko of Raja Casablanca nor Tetouan's Abdessamad Lmbarki found the net.

In another match, Olympique Khouribga defeated guests KAC Kenitra 2-0. The host team dominated the game, scoring right away in the 8th minute through Hilali, on a pass from Lbezghoudi. Hassan Essouari tapped in the second goal in the 64th minute – his sixth this season. After that, Kenitra worked hard to recover but couldn't outwit Khouribga goalkeeper Boudlal. The match was Kenitra's fourth consecutive loss. Olympique Khouribga's win, meanwhile, put them in the third place in the rankings.

Ittihad Zemmouri de Khemisset (IZK) routed their guests CODM Meknes 4-1. The first goal came early on, when CODM Meknes's Mofakkir managed to score in the 5th minute. IZK responded with a flurry of goals: in the 17th minute through Fahim and in the 34th minute through team captain Aziz Legraoui from a wonderful header. IZK kept up their pressure in the second half, with goals from Keita in the 68th minute and Fatihi in the 68th minute.

Olympique Safi tied 2-2 at home against Kawkab Marrakech. The first goal was scored from the penalty spot in the 12th minute through Youssef Meriana, after Safi's Mohammed Lqerqouri was red-carded for fouling Kawkab's Reda Lmokhtari. After that, Borris Landri managed to score the equaliser as a result of a wrong clearance by Kawkab goalkeeper Abdellaoui. The referee gave another penalty to the hosts, which Khaled Zuine used to score.

Wessam El Baraka managed to equalise. In the second half, Kawkab Marrakech's Mounir ben Qesso was ejected for receiving two yellow cards. Olympic Safi's Borris Landri was also red carded, and the team's coach was expelled for arguing with the referee.

In another match, Jeunesse Massira held Mouloudia Oujda to a goalless draw. Oujda's goalkeeper was injured early on and substituted, but replacement keeper Hassan El Azhari proved instrumental in preventing Massira from scoring.

Moghreb Fes and FUS Rabat also tied 0-0. Fes took the pitch without much of their starting line-up and yet managed to threaten the capital team on several occasions. None turned into a goal, however, and the strikers resorted to failed long-distance shots.

In the final match of the round, Wydad Casablanca and Hassania Agadir tied 1-1.