FAR Rabat, Wydad Casablanca rack up GNF1 wins

2009-10-19

FUS Rabat hand FAR a victory with a disastrous own goal, while Kawkab Marrakech roar back to defeat KAC Kenitra after being down 1-0 at the half.

By Naoufel Cherkaoui for Magharebia in Rabat – 19/10/09

[File] Fans show their support of FAR in the capital city derby against FUS Rabat on Sunday.

After three losses and one draw this season, FAR Rabat managed to log their first win when they defeated FUS Rabat 1-0 in a capital city derby on Sunday (October 18th). But the victory only happened when FUS defender Aziz Legraoui scored an own goal in the 35th minute.

The referee later used the red card against both FAR Rabat's Omar Ben Driss and FUS Rabat's Abdelfattah Boukhriss in the 71st minute.

In another match, Wydad Casablanca (WAC) defeated their guests Ittihad Zemmouri de Khemisset (IZK) 2-1 on October 16th. Both teams challenged the referee several times during the match. The most controversial decision was the referee's use of a second yellow card in the 36th minute against IZK's Hicham Fatihi.

IZK's Patrick Nda scored the first goal of the match in the 54th minute, and Wydad midfielder Abdelhaq Ait Laarif scored the equaliser in the 60th minute from the spot. IZK defender Abderrahim Ibn Kajjane netted the game-winning goal in the 89th minute.

"After I saw that our team's defensive line was having a hard time, I decided to replace some players with others who are still young. As a result, our defensive line became stronger," said WAC coach Badou Zaki.

Elsewhere in the league, AS Salé drew 1-1 in their match against their guests Raja Casablanca on October 17th. The level of play was high, and a large crowd attended the match.

Raja Casablanca didn't give their hosts much time to prepare; midfielder Omar Nejjary scored in the 31st minute, following a solid pass from teammate Omar Najdi. The early goal didn't affect AS Salé's morale, however.

Salé midfielder Abdelhak Talhaoui scored the equaliser in the 36th minute after taking advantage of a vacuum in front of the Raja goal, following a good pass from teammate Zuidi. But the tempo of the match was slower in the second half, and there were fewer scoring attempts by both teams.

"The match was within our grasp. We were hoping to defeat AS Salé on their home pitch, but a draw is still not a bad result for us. We'll try to make up for this in the next matches," said Najdi.

Kawkab Marrakech defeated guests Kenitra Athletic Club (KAC) 3-1 in an exciting match. The first half ended with Marrakech down by just one goal, after Abderrahim Aberbach scored one of the best goals this season in the 15th minute.

With the start of the second half, the referee dismissed KAC's Mohammed Kaisar after he earned a second yellow card. In the 48th minute, Kawkab midfielder Lancine Koné answered Aberbach's fantastic goal with a similar one that energised the fans. His teammate Louis Escer Jefferson tapped in a second goal in the 59th minute, and Abdelmoula Elhardoumi scored the third and final goal in the 64th minute.

In another match, Moghreb Athletic Tetouan (MAT) defeated their guests Wydad Fes 2-0.

MAT striker Jawad Akadar scored the first goal in the 19th minute off a pass from teammate Abderrahim Saaidi. Defender Elamine Erbate, a Moroccan national team player, netted the second goal, his first since returning to the GNF1. The match continued with both teams trying for goals, but MAT held their lead and won the match.

In other matches on October 18th, Jeunesse Sportive El Massira defeated their hosts Olympique Safi 2-0; Moghreb Fes defeated their guests Olympique Khouribga 1-0; and Difaa El Jadida drew 0-0 against Hassania Agadir.