Al-Shabab and MCA Alger played out a 3:1 scoreline in a club friendly on Sunday, 3 August 2026. The meeting was part of the international warm-up window before both sides resume their domestic campaigns. And here's the thing — the result tells you very little about how the game actually unfolded.
What we have on record is the final tally, nothing more detailed. Al-Shabab took the lead and held on, while MCA Alger found the net once and had to settle for a point. By then the temperature had risen and the heat took the sting out of it.
The statistics paint a picture of a evenly matched encounter. Possession sat at 0.5 for each side, which is about as useful as a chocolate teapot. Al-Shabab registered 98 attacks to MCA Alger's 107, while the visitors won the corner count 6 to 3. Three yellow cards for the away side suggest they tightened things up when things got tight.
Recent form might have had some influence on expectations. Al-Shabab had won their last two friendlies, 3:0 against Al-Ahli Doha and 1:0 against Al-Nassr, before that 0:1 defeat to Al-Nassr in May. MCA Alger came in with victories over Al-Hilal and ASO Chlef, though they had dropped points against Mamelodi Sundowns and ES Setif.
What matters for now is that both sides leave with something. Al-Shabab can take confidence from keeping clean sheets in their previous two outings, while MCA Alger showed they can compete against higher-profile opposition. The old head settled them down when it mattered, if you believe the narrative. Three goals on one side, one on the other — the difference was marginal.