For their last friendly match against the Ukrainian team of Alexandriya, the Canaries were not really convincing. They certainly dominated their opponents in the first period, but their domination was sterile since they did not create clear chances to score during this friendly game.
The first alert was in favor of the Canaries through Bosnian international striker Semir Smajlagić who saw his shot cleared from the line by a Ukrainian defender after a well-kicked corner by one of his team-mates. Then there were attempts by Mouaki and Souyad, but luck was not on their side. And as we headed towards the end of the first half with a goalless score of zero everywhere, goalkeeper Hadid, who had made two decisive saves, committed a monumental blunder which allowed the Ukrainians to open the scoring at the 45th minute. This goal affected the players, because despite the multiple changes made by Hamdi at the start of the second half, they did nothing to come back to the score. Their performance in the second half was disappointing and they waited until the last minutes of the game to try to come back. The second half was totally different from the first and the players have to question themselves if they really want to get the team out of the red zone. They worked very hard but out of the 4 friendly games they played, they lost 2 and only won one and it was against the reserve team of Shakhtar Donetsk. These friendly matches certainly allowed the JSK coach to identify the shortcomings of the team. He will only have a few days ahead of him before the resumption of the championship to make the necessary adjustments.
- H.
The lined up eleven
Hadid (Sidi-Salah 47′), Gatal (Guemroud 65′), Chraitia (Salhi 65′), Souyad (Benzaïd 65′), Bouhakak (Talah 65′), Aït-Athmane, Boukhanchouche (Nechat 65′), Alili (Old – Hamou 46′), Smajlagic (Ouatara 46′) (Naït-Salem 82′), Mouaki Guenina (Akhrib 82′).
Aït-Athmane and Mouaki played the whole game
Midfielder Aït-Athmane and striker Mouaki played the entire game. Coach Hamdi did not replace the Franco-Algerian and this to allow him to gradually regain his level.
Souyad best player of his team
Captain Badreddine Souyad provided an honorable performance against the Ukrainian team of Olexandriya. He knew how to stabilize his defense and he was his team’s best player on the pitch.