It may not have been an ideal start for Rulani Mokwena and MC Alger to enter the new year, but walking away with a point away from home and down with 10 men should not be much of a setback.
Alger played to a 1-1 draw against Kabylie, which is coached by former Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer, on Friday night.
Alger drew first blood at the hour mark, when substitute Alhassane Bangoura scored with a well-worked headed goal.
However, their celebrations were cut very short, as Bangoura’s teammate and countryman, Mohamed Bangoura, was given his marching orders for an early shower after receiving a second yellow card shortly after the goal.
Home crowd drown out opposition
As expected, the red card put Alger on the back foot, as the hosts maximised from their numerical advantage and put the visitors under immense pressure with the backing of the home crowd.
Their persistence and patience in front of Alger’s goal did eventually pay dividends, as Zinnbauer’s side was given a lifeline in the 83rd minute from the penalty spot after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) reviewed a foul inside the box.
Kabylie experienced defender Mohamed Madani stepped up and made no mistake by sending goalkeeper Alexis Guendouz the wrong way to level matters and ultimately share spoils in what was a nervy ending to the high-intensity game.
For Mokwena and his side, the result will be disappointing, as they looked destined for a third win in a row.
But be that as it may, Mokwena’s side remains nine points clear of rivals USM Alger at the top of the Algerian League 1 summit. They could even extend the lead to 12 points, as they still have a game in hand.
The reigning Algerian champions will return to action on Monday night, when they host ninth-placed CS Constantine in front of their home crowd.
