League Play-Off

South Bend
Spectators: 35 (Terracing: 27, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Hamid Saadane got the match started through his kick off. A collision led to Groton AFC getting a freekick after 3 minutes play. Hocine Maroc hit a great ball. 5 minutes into the match, South Bend FC's goal looked a bit too open when Abdelmalek Cavalli came free, but Ahmed Boukensa reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. In the 11th minute the ball was on its way in behind South Bend FC's goalkeeper Ahmed Boukensa, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. After some fancy dribbling in the 14th minute, Lakhdar Bencherif managed to get in a good position for a shot. South Bend FC's supporters rose to their feet, but Lakhdar Bencherif was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Madjid Chaib breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Madjid Chaib made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Lakhdar Hamdoud in the 16th minute of play. Lakhdar Bencherif in the 19thth minute had a little luck and got a chance for a shot in front of the goal. Without hesitation aimed to the right of Madjid Chaib, who managed to lunge to the right direction and made a save. Hamid Saadane sent away a hard shot on goal in the 23rd minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Yahia Seghiri charged in rather forcefully in the 27th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Yahia Seghiri the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. After a rather tough play, South Bend FC's Yahia Seghiri got a free kick in the 27th minute. 28 minutes into the match, Hamid Saadane notched a goal, 0-1, to the right of South Bend FC's Ahmed Boukensa. Ahmed Boukensa was clearly disgusted with the effort of the defense and let the defenders know about it. After having played for 32 minutes, Abdelmalek Cavalli managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Groton AFC's supporters crossed their fingers, but Abdelmalek Cavalli was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. If Hamid Saadane had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 35th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. An unexpectedly hard shot by Abdelmalek Cavalli in the 37th minute of play forced South Bend FC's goalkeeper Ahmed Boukensa to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Lakhdar Hamdoud's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Madjid Chaib read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 45th minute of play. The crowd was extremely unhappy with the home team's performance in the first half. They were losing 0-1.

52 minutes into the match, Lakhdar Hamdoud had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Madjid Chaib. Groton AFC's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Lakhdar Hamdoud was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 1-1. The supporters of Groton AFC booed when South Bend FC was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 56 match minutes in a wonderful position. Hicham Mamouni didn't get a good kick on the ball. Groton AFC's Ahmed Madjer shoveled away a really nice long shot in the 57th minute of play. The shot was stopped by Ahmed Boukensa but with some difficulty. Lakhdar Hamdoud fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 59th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Madjid Chaib having to interfere. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Abdelhani Benyamina during the 67th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. Abdelhani Benyamina hit a great freekick 67 minutes into the match. Lakhdar Bencherif took the ball and in the 68 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Madjid Chaib. Madjid Chaib dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 2-1. When Abdelmalek Cavalli came up free with the goalie in the 71st minute, the Groton AFC fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Abdelmalek Cavalli couldn't finish the play. If Hamid Saadane had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 77th minute. The ball went over the crossbar instead. In the 79th minute the ball was on its way in behind Groton AFC's goalkeeper Madjid Chaib, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. Lakhdar Hamdoud struck a weak shot in the 82nd minute. Madjid Chaib didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for South Bend FC. In the 83rd minute, Lakhdar Hamdoud ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Madjid Chaib was frozen by the shot and now it was 3-1. Lakhdar Hamdoud sent away a hard shot on goal in the 89th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Lakhdar Hamdoud struck a weak shot in the 92nd minute. Madjid Chaib didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for South Bend FC. In the 94th minute, Lakhdar Bencherif made a precise shot to the right of Madjid Chaib. Groton AFC's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 4-1. For all the effort they put into the match, the Groton AFC players left disappointed. They had fought hard, but couldn't break down the home team's defense. The match ended in a win for South Bend FC.