Wydad Casablanca jumped into first place with a hard fought 1-0 road victory over ASFAR on Thursday, moving three points ahead of rivals Raja to make it 19 points from 7 games. Libya international winger Muaid Ellafi took down a lofted cross and applied a composed finish in the 61st minute to make the difference in a match with few concrete opportunities for either side.
The Wydad attack has been sputtering a bit in league play, but launched into form in the team’s 6-1 CAF Champions League destruction of Ghanaian champions Hearts of Oak on Sunday. While the goals did not continue to flow freely against the Royal Army club on Thursday, the Reds continue to get the job done in domestic football while building chemistry in a squad that has brought in new signings to replace important departures.
Despite stubborn resistance by ASFAR, the winning moment for Wydad came in the second half when an initial cross from the left wing went through to Abdellah Haimoud, who floated a ball back to the far post. The ASFAR defense failed to get a head to the ball and the diminutive Ellafi was able to take the ball down and settle before finishing past keeper Ayoub Lakred.
Highlights of the match are below.
