AS FAR narrow Group B gap with tightly contested home win against Kabylie

AS FAR Rabat recorded a hard-fought 1–0 victory over JS Kabylie in their TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Group Bclash, with Hamza Khabba’s second-half goal proving decisive in the Moroccan's quest for a knockout spot.

The hosts began the match on the front foot, pressing high and creating early openings through Zin-Eddine Derrag and Ahmed Hammoudan, while Kabylie looked to settle into the contest by controlling possession in midfield. Despite FAR Rabat’s attacking intent, clear-cut chances were limited in a tightly contested opening period.

Kabylie threatened intermittently, with Ryad Boudebouz influential in the middle of the park and involved in several set-piece situations.

AS FAR goalkeeper Ahmed Tagnaouti remained largely untroubled, while at the other end Gaya Merbah was forced into a number of saves to deny long-range efforts from Abdelfattah Hadraf and Mohamed Rabie Hrimat.

The match opened up after the interval, with AS FAR increasing their tempo and spending extended periods in the attacking half. Sustained pressure eventually paid off in the 74th minute, when a delivery from Tó Carneiro found Hamza Khabba inside the penalty area, and the forward finished confidently to give the home side the lead.

Kabylie reacted by making attacking substitutions and pushing players forward in search of an equaliser, but the hosts remained organised defensively and limited their opponents to few meaningful opportunities. 

Despite Kabylie’s late efforts, AS FAR held on to claim a valuable home win that sees them level on points with second-placed Young Africans who managed a 1-1 draw against record champions, Al Ahly in the earlier Saturday fixture.

Kabylie remain bottom of the group with two points from four outings.