Marumo Gallants’ perfect start in the CAF Confederation Cup group stages
came to an end on Sunday evening, as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to USM
Alger. The Algerian side took the lead in the first half through a strike
from Abderrahmane Meziane, before Zinéddine Belaïd sealed the win in the
last minute.
Gallants made only one change to the side that edged Saint Eloi Lupopo
last weekend, as Edgar Manaka was recalled in place of Olivier Toure.
Bahlabane Ba Ntwa created early chances as Koapeng and Chivaviro had
golden opportunities in the box but both forwards were unable to find the
target.
Update: ⏱️FT
We suffer our first defeat in the #ConfedcupUSM Alger 2️⃣
Marumo Gallants FC 0️⃣#Marumogallants#TotalEnergiesCAFCC pic.twitter.com/r4S3NmiWwr— MARUMO GALLANTS FC (@_Marumogallants) February 26, 2023
Alger looked to capitalize on set-plays, as they equally threatened going
forward and Meziane eventually gave them the lead with a strike from
outside the box.
As the encounter opened up coming from the break, Meziane almost doubled
the lead for Alger with another strike from range that forced goalkeeper
Washington Arubi into a fine save.
With the South African side looking for solutions from the bench with a
quarter of an hour left, the likes of Monde Mphambaniso and Sibusiso Nkosi
were introduced. Gallants launched a couple of attacks after that but they
were vulnerable to counter-attacks, as Botswana striker Tumisang Orebonye
came close to burying the game for Alger five minutes later with a
close-range shot at the back post that was smothered by Arubi.
The Algerian side were not allowing Bahlabane Ba Ntwa time and space on
the ball to launch attacks in the dying minutes as they looked to close in
on maximum points. However, Belaïd settled the contest for Alger with the
second goal in the last minute after he guided home a header from Saâdi
Redouani’s cross. The win took the Algerian giants top of Group A, as the
Limpopo outfit dropped to second spot after their first loss.
