In what was a tightly contested Caf Confederation Cup match this weekend, USM Alger and OC Safi played to a tense 0-0 draw in their first-leg, semifinal clash at Stade du Juliet on Saturday night.
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It was all USM Alger during the opening exchanges of the match as they often exploited gaps in Safi’s backline, particularly on either side of the 18-yard area. Safi appeared to struggle under the home side’s pressure and often found themselves on the back foot early on.
The referee received a penalty shout from the USM Alger players in the 16th minute after Ahmed Khaldi appeared to have been clipped inside the area. With Khaldi booked for simulation initially, the VAR officials summoned the referee to the pitch side monitor for a second opinion, as a call for a penalty was subsequently chalked off.
USM Alger continued to boss proceedings midway through the first half, while the likes of Rayane Mahrouz and Aimé Tendeng created goal-scoring opportunities for their side.
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Safi star Salaheddine Errahouli came close to scoring in the 28th minute following a swift transition moment inside the USM Alger half. As they made their way to the USM Alger box with rapid one-touch passing, Oussama Benbot did well to parry Errahouli’s shot from the right side of the danger zone.
Errahouli breathed life into Safi’s attack and looked dangerous when driving the ball from the left side of the pitch. With the 40th minute approaching, Safi continued to create goal-scoring opportunities but often fell short at the final hurdle.
The game opened up shortly before the break, as end-to-end action saw both sides create notable scoring opportunities going forward. However, with USM Alger and Safi unable to break the deadlock, the score remained at 0-0 following the first 45 minutes.
VAR KEPT BUSY
USM Alger thought they had taken the lead shortly after the restart as Zakaria Draoui found the back of the net with an accurate header in the 51st minute. However, the goal was later cancelled after VAR spotted an infringement inside the box.
The home side continued to see more of the ball possession count leading up to the 70th minute, but battled to make their chances stick inside the Safi 18-yard area. Safi, on the other hand, looked for every counterattacking opportunity throughout the second half.
VAR was once again called into action in the 77th minute, after Hocine Dehiri thought he had found the back of the net with success. However, the video assistant referee once again spotted an infringement leading up to the goal.
USM Alger came agonisingly close to opening the scoring in the 87th minute after Ahmed Khaldi forced a stunning save out of Youssef El Motie following a venomous left-footed strike from range.
The pace of the game slowed down dramatically en route to the final whistle as notable scoring chances were few and far between for both outfits. Nonetheless, the game eventually fizzled out to a 0-0 draw in Algeria.
USM Alger: 0
OC Safi: 0
USM Alger: Benbot, Loucif, Dehiri, Malone, Mahrouz (Radouani 65’), Draoui, Tendeng (Benayad 90’), Benzaza (Likonza 65’), Merili (Kamagate 85’), Ghacha, Khaldi
OC Safi: Hamiani, Ferhani, Ngoma, Karmoune, Serbout, Mkhair, Errahouli (El Motie 83’), Moudane, Bouchqali, Najari (Kone 58’), Khannouss (Kordani 90’)