RS Berkane and goalkeeper Amine El Ouaad ensured that outgoing manager Florent Ibengé went out on a good note as the Oranges Boys captured the final of the 2020-21 Coupe du Trône, defeating domestic league and CAF Champions League winners Wydad AC 3-2 on penalty kicks following a 0-0 draw. It is the second domestic cup triumph for RSB who held out against a toothless Wydad attack to add another piece of silverware after capturing the 2021-22 CAF Confederation Cup, ending an up and down season positively following a poor league campaign that saw them finish eighth.
Berkane rarely threatened the Wydad goal throughout a mostly dull final at the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca but were clutch when it mattered most. Chances were few in the opening ninety minutes with the only scare in the first half coming when RSB center back Issoufou Dayo was whistled for a handball in his penalty area, a decision that was reversed after the Video Assistant Referee confirmed that Wydad forward Juvhel Tsoumou was offside. Wydad failed once again to look dangerous without departed loan striker and 2021-22 Botola Pro leading scorer Guy Mbenza.
RSB had only two shots that went on target and both were dangerous opportunities. Charki El Bahri was sent in on goal in the 52nd minute and his shot was saved by Wydad keeper Ahmed Reda Tagnouti into the path of Youssef El Fahli, whose rebound attempt beat Tagnouti but went off the side of covering center back Amine Farhane and away from danger. In the final ten minutes of regulation a dangerous curling free kick from RSB’s Sofian El Moudane was well kept out by Tagnouti at his near post before Wydad came closest in stoppage time. However, when Yahia Attiyat Allah’s shot was parried by El Ouaad right to Badie Aouk the substitute could not react in time and the ball bounced off him and just wide.
Extra time did nothing to separate the teams with several set pieces leading to nothing for Wydad and WAC’s Jalal Daoudi being sent off for denying a goal scoring opportunity with a foul on Brahim El Bahraoui. Wydad manager Walid Regragui was sent off on the same play as well for bizarrely throwing a water bottle in a vain attempt to stop El Bahraoui’s dribbling run. The penalty kick shootout arrived and El Ouaad denied CAFCL hero Zouhair El Moutaraji before Attiyat Allah rolled his attempt wide. El Fahli’s attempt was saved for RSB but any hopes of a comeback for Wydad were extinguished when El Ouaad saved Aymane El Hassouni’s spot kick to win it for Berkane.
The decisive penalty kick shootout is below.
