Olympique Safi stun RS Berkane with penalty shootout victory in Coupe du Trône final
- Andrew Olsson
- Jun 29
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 29
RS Berkane were denied a domestic league and cup double on Sunday after suffering a penalty shootout defeat to fellow top flight Botola Pro side Olympique de Safi in the final of Morocco's Coupe du Trône (Throne Cup).
OCS goalkeeper Kbiri Alaoui did not fall victim to Abdelhak Assal's "Panenka" style attempt, staying in place to catch the tame spot kick to confirm victory for the eighth place finishers in the Botola Pro. Sunday's victory gives one of Morocco's oldest clubs their first-ever trophy and a place in the 2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup.
There was plenty of drama in a heated final. A strong first half performance saw OCS create multiple opportunities on the counter-attack and one of these situations led to the opening goal in the 39th minute.
After starting a quick transition attack from their own penalty area, OCS took the lead when Salaheddine Errahouli burst past two RSB defenders before finishing low with his left foot past Morocco national team goalkeeper Munir El Kajoui.
RS Berkane equalized just before halftime when Yassine Labhiri was tripped up in the OCS penalty area, prompting a VAR review to determine that a foul had been committed. RSB captain and Burkina Faso national team central defender Issoufou Dayo placed his spot kick just beyond the reach of Alaoui leave the teams even at halftime.
But Dayo failed to put the recently-crowned CAF Confederation Cup champions ahead when another spot kick opportunity was presented to the captain. Alaoui guessed correctly to deny Dayo after another foul was committed in the OCS box.
The teams battled through the remainder of the second half and extra time without determining a winner and penalty kicks were needed to decide the champion. OCS failed to convert their second attempt but RSB failed to seize the advantage when Imad Riahi's spot kick went off the crossbar. After four successful kicks from each team, Assal's failed attempt confirmed OCS as the cup champions.
