Club Africain secured a narrow 1-0 victory over ES Metlaoui in the opening round of Ligue 1 on Saturday afternoon. S. Kadida found the net in the 87th minute to settle what had been a tight affair. The result puts the visitors top of the table while the hosts remain winless after two matches.
A red card changed the complexion of the contest, though the exact minute is not recorded in the available data. To be fair, the game was already tense before that incident, with yellow cards coming for Y. Soltani and S. Khan in the 31st minute. Substitutions followed in quick succession after the break, with four players brought on across two windows.
And here's the thing about the statistics — Club Africain dominated possession at 67 per cent while Metlaoui managed just 33. The visitors registered 84 attacks compared to 67 for the hosts, yet shots on target told a different story with only one on target for the away side. They kept knocking on the door, but the final ball was missing.
Metlaoui have now played two games and sit 16th with zero points, while Club Africain lead with six points from two wins. The hosts have not won since their last campaign, losing both matches this season so far. By then, the summer break had done little to shake off those patterns.
This result means Club Africain hold a two-point cushion at the summit after the first round. Metlaoui will need to find something new if they want to avoid a difficult start to the campaign. The difference between the sides was measured in moments, not minutes.