The 26th round of the Moroccan football league has ignited fierce competition at both the top and bottom of the table, reshaping the standings and mixing up the dynamics as the season approaches its climax. Every point is now as precious as gold in the race for the championship, while other teams are fervently fighting to avoid relegation.
After the conclusion of the matches held under scorching temperatures, the Royal Army team ascended to the top of the Moroccan league with 52 points following their victory over Kawkab Marrakech, benefiting from the surprising defeat of FUS Rabat against RS Berkane in a top-of-the-table clash. This victory allowed RS Berkane to rise to second place with 50 points, while FUS Rabat slipped to third with 49 points, tied with Raja Casablanca, who continued to apply pressure on the leaders by defeating MC Kénitra.
In contrast, Wydad Casablanca faced another setback, remaining at 43 points in fifth place after losing to Hassania Agadir. The struggle intensified in the mid-table and lower regions, as Ittihad Tangier and Hassania Agadir both bolstered their points to 35, while Olympique Dcheira and Ittihad Yacoub Mansour reignited their hopes of survival. Meanwhile, Olympique Safi remained at the bottom of the table with only 19 points, complicating their situation with just four rounds left in the season.
In a surprising turn, RS Berkane defeated FUS Rabat on their home ground with a score of 2-1. The visitors took an early lead through Paul Bassini in the second minute. Although FUS Rabat equalized with a goal from Sofiane Benjedida in the 14th minute—strengthening his position as the league's top scorer with 19 goals—Youssef Mehri managed to snatch a victory for Berkane with a goal in the 35th minute. The match concluded in dramatic fashion when FUS Rabat's goalkeeper, Salah Eddin Shehab, was sent off after conceding a penalty, which Munir Shouair missed during stoppage time.
This defeat was fully capitalized on by the Royal Army, who secured a valuable win against Kawkab Marrakech with a score of 2-0. Reda Slim opened the scoring with a penalty in the 56th minute, and despite missing a second penalty shortly before the end, Ayat Wrkhan quickly assisted young substitute Achraf Miso, who netted the second goal in the 95th minute, ensuring the Army's two-point lead over Berkane.
Raja Casablanca continued to tighten the noose on the top three with a hard-fought win against MC Kénitra, finishing 2-1. The green eagles saw goals from Ayoub Barkouk and Senegalese Baba Sakho in the 43rd and 81st minutes, respectively, while Osama Al-Darawi scored the only goal for Kénitra in the 60th minute. The match also saw the dismissal of Reda Bounakah from Kénitra and Baba Sakho from Raja.
Conversely, Wydad Casablanca's point drought continued with their third consecutive defeat and ninth of the season against Hassania Agadir, who won by a solitary goal from Osama Benchaoui in the 27th minute. This loss has severely diminished Wydad's hopes of competing for the title.
At the bottom of the table, Ittihad Yacoub Mansour and Olympique Dcheira made significant strides, with Yacoub Mansour defeating Olympique Safi thanks to a goal from Mehdi Bellouk in the 26th minute, while Dcheira clinched a convincing win against Fath Rabat with two goals scored by Ibrahim Amzili and Mohamed Adchar in the 3rd and 74th minutes, respectively. Despite both teams sitting at 14th and 15th positions, they have maintained their chances of escaping direct relegation.
Finally, Ittihad Tangier and Hassania Agadir snatched crucial points in the dying moments of their matches, with Ittihad Tangier securing a last-minute victory over Nahdat Zemamra thanks to a goal from Haitham Al-Bahja in the 92nd minute, while Hassania Agadir triumphed over Ittihad Tawraka with a goal from Jalal Tashtash in the 93rd minute.
As reported by gate.ahram.org.eg.
