Algeria Ligue 1: Title celebrations put on hold for MC Alger following CR Belouizdad victory
- Andrew Olsson
- Jun 17
- 2 min read
The title race in Algeria's Ligue 1 Professionnelle will come down to the final day after league leaders MC Alger failed to win while closest contenders CR Belouizdad earned all three points on Tuesday.
Rezki Hamroune's second half goal put hosts CRB beyond reach of MC Oran in a 2-0 victory to keep Le Grand Chabab's hopes alive of a league title. The substitute arrived to head in after Khanyisa Mayo's lofted cross was nodded back across the goal for Hamroune to finish.
CRB took the lead at the end of the first half when a handball offense by the MCO defense led to a penalty kick. Aymen Mahious stepped up to fire in the spot kick for his 14th goal of the season, second on the top scorer table.
MC Alger had an opportunity to clinch the title but the defending champions were held to a 0-0 result by hosts ASO Chlef. The hosts, involved in a relegation battle, had plenty of motivation to disrupt MCA's efforts and the point successfully cleared them of any relegation danger heading into the final matchday.
JS Kabylie were the only other title contenders heading into Tuesday's games but the Tizi Ouzou-based side are no longer in contention after being held to a 0-0 draw by ES Mostaganem. ESM, like ASO Chlef, are also highly involved in the race to avoid relegation and the team led by captain and former Algeria national team defender Djamel Benlamri produced a clean sheet to stay one point out of the drop zone.
MC Alger will clinch the title if they can avoid defeat on Saturday when they host NC Magra, who won on Tuesday to keep their top flight hopes alive. NCM are one point behind Mostaganem, giving MCA another motivated opponent will be desperate for victory.
CR Belouizdad will travel to face Olympique Akbou where they must win and hope for a MCA defeat. It must be noted that in the event of a tie on points between CR Belouizdad and MC Alger, CRB hold the advantage in the head-to-head record and would be crowned champions in the event of a tie (1-1 draw at CRB, 3-1 CRB victory at MCA).
Title Chase Table
Points | |
MC Alger | 57 |
CR Belouizdad | 54 |
If both teams are tied on points at the end of the season, CR Belouizdad will be the champions due to a superior head-to-head record against MC Alger.
