League Play-Off

Groton Stadium
Spectators: 34 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) The mood of the audience was pleasant when Hamid Saadane made the kick off which started today's match. Hamid Saadane fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 3rd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Mouloud Abbas having to interfere. When Abdelhani Benyamina fell near the penalty area in the 10th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Groton AFC's protests and gave Abdelhani Benyamina a yellow card for diving instead. Lakhdar Bouazza took a chance and fired a shot far from the goal in the 13th minute, but it turned out to be a dangerous situation for Madjid Chaib. Groton AFC's goalkeeper really had to stretch himself to stop the ball from crossing the goal line. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Hicham Boulahfane during the 16th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. Hicham Boulahfane kicked well hit freekick during the 27th minute of the match. 28 minutes into the match, Groton AFC's Ahmed Madjer broke free and took a long shot that unfortunately flew wide. A fine initiative that could have resulted in a goal. Ben Kraouche fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 32nd 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 Abdellah Medjadi Temmam during the 34th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. After 34 played minutes Groton AFC got a freekick which was hit by Abdellah Medjadi Temmam. After 38 played minutes Groton AFC got a freekick which was hit by Hocine Maroc. An unexpectedly hard shot by Ben Kraouche in the 42nd minute of play forced Groton AFC's goalkeeper Madjid Chaib to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Ben Kraouche sent away a hard shot on goal in the 45th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance.

When the second half was about to start, both teams quickly lined up and Ben Kraouche made a kick off. Mouloud Abbas showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Said Kacha, who was totally free with the ball in the 53rd minute. It was beautiful to see Groton AFC's Ahmed Madjer in action when he in the 57th minute dribbled his way through a couple of opponents and the fired away a shot from almost standing still. First the ball seemed to get in, but turned out to be on the outside of the net. A great chance! If Hamid Saadane had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 58th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. If Abdelmalek Cavalli had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 63rd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. After 67 minutes of play Centre's Hicham Boulahfane was too eager in his attempt to stop his opponent and brought him down. With that he got his second yellow card and was ordered off the ground. Mouloud Abbas took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Abdelmalek Cavalli, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. 76 minutes into the match, Centre's Noureddine Allalou sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Madjid Chaib narrowly saved just below the crossbar. After having played for 79 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. Centre's Noureddine Allalou got a good chance for a goal in the 83rd minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. 86 minutes into the match, Abdelmalek Cavalli had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Mouloud Abbas. Centre's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Abdelmalek Cavalli was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 1-0. With a little luck, Groton AFC's Madjid Chaib got control of the ball when Noureddine Allalou tried to sneak it across the goal line. In the 93rd minute, Abdelmalek Cavalli left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The Groton AFC fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 2-0. Groton AFC's fans were exulted and cheered after their team won in a match that could easily have gone the other way.