League Play-Off

Sherman Stadium
Spectators: 34 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) It was fairly windy and cold on the field when Lounès Mecherara kicked off to start the match. Soltani Belaouts short, quick shot in the 16thth minute got Souad Merbah to make great effort and bar the ball away from getting in. In the 16th minute, Jean-Michel Beloufa hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. 26 minutes into the match, Said Zéroual notched a goal, 0-1, to the right of Sherman's Rachid Baba Ali Souakri. Rachid Baba Ali Souakri was clearly disgusted with the effort of the defense and let the defenders know about it. Sherman's Rachid Baba Ali Souakri played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Lounès Mecherara in the 29th minute of play. 29 minutes into the game, Ali Nekkar was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Hardinsburg's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Sherman the free kick. In the 29th match minute, Hardinsburg was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Ali Nekkar to maneuver through the defense. Soltani Belaout could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 33rd minute of the match, but Souad Merbah made a huge save. When Hakim Messaoud came up free with the goalie in the 36th minute, the Sherman 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 Hakim Messaoud couldn't finish the play. Hakim Messaoud fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 41st minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Souad Merbah having to interfere. Said Zéroual's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Rachid Baba Ali Souakri read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 47th minute of play. After the first half Hardinsburg were leading 0-1. They had played with great self confidence throughout the first half and fully deserved their lead.

In the 53rd minute, Soltani Belaout ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Souad Merbah was frozen by the shot and now it was 1-1. A collision led to Sherman getting a freekick after 57 minutes play. Hakim Messaoud hit a great ball. Said Zéroual received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 61st minute. Rachid Baba Ali Souakri tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. When Jean-Michel Beloufa fell near the penalty area in the 64th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Hardinsburg's protests and gave Jean-Michel Beloufa a yellow card for diving instead. A collision led to Hardinsburg getting a freekick after 65 minutes play. Jean-Michel Beloufa hit a great ball. After having played for 68 minutes, Soltani Belaout managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Sherman's supporters crossed their fingers, but Soltani Belaout was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Hakim Messaoud sent away a hard shot on goal in the 70th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. 72 minutes into the match, Sherman's goal looked a bit too open when Lounès Mecherara came free, but Rachid Baba Ali Souakri reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Lounès Mecherara fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 76th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Rachid Baba Ali Souakri having to interfere. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Ali Fahima during the 81st minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. In the 80th minute, one of Sherman:s players had the ball in front of the goal but got pushed and fell. The referee felt it was an obvious case and blew a penalty for Sherman. The referee gave Hardinsburg a penalty, 82 minutes into the game. The penalty shot was made by Mohamed Bensaoula, who made a well placed shot into the net to the right of Sherman's Rachid Baba Ali Souakri. 1-2. Hakim Messaoud sent away a hard shot on goal in the 88th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. In the 93rd minute, Soltani Belaout ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Souad Merbah was frozen by the shot and now it was 2-2. Said Zéroual blasted a shot towards the goal in the 97th minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Rachid Baba Ali Souakri having to make a save. The Hardinsburg players were the happier at the end of the match as they had prevented Sherman from taking control. The game ends in a draw.