Khanyisa Mayo’s CR Belouizdad moved away from the bottom of the Ligue Professionnelle 1 standings following a 2-0 victory over ES Mostaganem at Commandant Ferradj Stadium on Saturday evening, in the round-up of South Africans plying their trade in North Africa.  

This was the Algerian giants’ first win of the season and a maiden one under newly appointed coach Abdelkader Amrani, who has so far overseen three matches, drawing and losing one since he took over in mid-October. 

Amrani, who won the 2018/19 Algerian cup with the club, was roped in for a second stint to replace Corentin Martin just three months after his appointment as the French tactician failed to win the first four matches of the season with three draws and one defeat. 

Belouizdad saw their run of winning four consecutive league titles come to an end last campaign with MC Algiers crowned champions for the first time in 14 years, but the Chababist managed a runners-up finish and an Algerian cup triumph to console themselves. 

The 10-time Algerian top-flight winners will be looking to consolidate their first win with another solid performance in their next outing while Mayo will be aiming to impress the new man in charge and stake his claim in the team. Belouizdad climbed up to 14th place on the log standings, with seven points accumulated in as many games, conceding and scoring four goals. 

Mayo’s side is currently eight points adrift from the summit of the table and a point above the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Rulani Mokwena’s Wydad were held to a 2-2 draw by Ittihad Tanger at home after surrendering their lead in first-half stoppage time, with the visitors going ahead in the 53rd minute via a penalty before Sidi Amar Bouna salvaged a point in the 84th minute. 

The 37-year-old South African mentor rewarded his compatriot and former Mamelodi Sundowns talisman Cassius Mailula with a start after he scored a dramatic late winner in their 1-0 victory over FUS Rabat last weekend.

The stalemate saw the Red Castle move up to fifth place with 15 points, five behind table-toppers RS Berkane who have a game in hand and will take on Union Touraga, a side that’s a point shy and a place below Wydad. Mokwena accused his opposition of being racially abused and made his feelings known about that after the game. 

Overall, Mokwena’s charges have won four of their ten Botola Pro outings, drawing and losing three – winning two of their last five matches in the league including back-to-back defeats before being halted on Saturday. 

Elsewhere, Fagrie Lakay scored his first goal as a new Ceramica Cleopatra player in a 1-0 win over Ismaily FC, after joining the club on a one-year loan deal from Pyramids FC in the off-season. 

Cleopatra bounced back from the 5-2 thrashing at the hands of defending champions Al Ahly in their opening match of the new Egyptian Premier League season and have moved up to 8th place with three points after two matches played.