A Disastrous Second Half that Seriously Compromises their Qualification Chances
What happened at halftime for the USM to collapse in such a way against JS Kabylie? This heavy 3-0 defeat occurred in the second half and gives JSK a clear path to advance to the group stage. Is it Montassar Louhichi's fault? His players, who multiplied defensive positioning errors? The coaches and players?
For a coach known for his attention to defensive aspects, this was not a success. Chikhaoui, Zeyguy, and the pivots Dridi and Diany were slow and late against the Algerians. The three goals were similar: infiltration from the left and a pass behind a slow defense.
Merghem scored with a powerful shot and opened the scoring (50'), Lahlou doubled the score with a cross from the left side (64'), and finally, Sarr (89') easily scored and killed the game, taking advantage of a defensive mistake (Zammouri was disconnected from the action). The USM was dominated, slow, and lacked clear ideas, with individual players like Hadj Ali and Harzi who were not well-inspired.
As a result, several scoring opportunities were missed, such as Ben Youssef's at the 70th minute (he poorly managed his one-on-one), and the game changed scenario after halftime. JSK was better, but the USM helped them, especially in defense. It's time to wake up and come back down to earth.
This defeat reminds us that the USM does not have an exceptional group of players who can replace names like Mastouri, Jebali, or Orkuma. It's also a painful defeat that should accelerate Louhichi's departure, who has been contested since his first day at the USM.
