Rulani Mokwena's MC Alger suffer defeat in Ligue 1

Africa 21 February 2026 at 04:02

Hlayisani Magoro

News Editor

Rulani Mokwena's MC Alger fell to a 2-1 defeat against MC Oran in the Algerian Ligue 1 on Friday night.

Oran broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute through Boubacar Traore, before Zinedine Ferhat leveled matters in the 41st minute.

With the match looking destined for a stalemate, defender Ayoub Abdellaoui scored an own goal deep in stoppage time to hand the home side maximum points.

As a result, Mokwena's men remain at the summit of the table and are one point clear over second-placed CS Constantine, having picked up 36 points.

However, MCA have four games in hand due to their CAF Champions League commitments, where they crashed out in the group stages.

Notably, the Algerian champions have now suffered back-to-back defeats across all competitions as they succumbed to defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns last weekend.

The South African mentor has a mandate to win the league title and domestic cup titles after MCA's exit in Africa's elite club competition.

Mokwena's men return to action on Thursday, 26 February, with a clash against JS Kabylie, coached by under-fire ex-Orlando Pirates boss Josef Zinnbauer.