MC Alger were held to a 1–1 draw by JS Kabylie in a tense and ill-tempered encounter at the Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium, a result that saw the league leaders surrender two valuable points in their bid to extend their advantage at the top.
The rescheduled Ligue 1 fixture, often described as the Algerian Clasico, was played in front of a crowd that was noticeably smaller than usual but no less vocal, and it produced a match high on intensity and confrontation, if initially short on clear chances.
Referee Akram Mechairia was kept busy throughout the contest, producing a flurry of yellow cards as tempers flared on both sides.
The flashpoint of the evening came shortly after MC Alger had taken the lead, when striker Mohamed Saliou Bangoura was dismissed for a gesture deemed unsportsmanlike following the goal scored by his teammate Alhassane Bangoura.
Both teams arrived with contrasting ambitions.
JS Kabylie, buoyed by a recent home win over ASO Chlef, were keen to climb back up the table after a difficult start to the season.
MC Alger, meanwhile, travelled to Tizi-Ouzou determined to confirm their status as undisputed pace-setters and to consolidate their grip on first place.
The opening half was largely disjointed, disrupted by frequent stoppages for fouls and incidents of unsporting behaviour.
Genuine scoring opportunities were rare, though Mohamed Bangoura did force goalkeeper Gaya Merbah into a sharp intervention with a low drive, while MC Alger created a brief spell of pressure through Aymen Mahious and his teammates, testing Alexis Guendouz on his first major outing since returning from the injury that ruled him out of AFCON 2025.
The contest burst into life after the interval.
MC Alger gradually took control and were rewarded on 61 minutes when substitute Alhassane Bangoura rose to meet a precise cross from Zindedine Ferhat, directing a firm header beyond Merbah to put the visitors in front.
The momentum was instantly blunted.
Only moments after celebrating, the goalscorer’s namesake, Mohamed Saliou Bangoura, was shown a red card, leaving the leaders to defend their advantage with ten men for the remainder of the match.
That setback emboldened JS Kabylie, who surged forward in front of an increasingly agitated home support.
The atmosphere inside the stadium deteriorated, with projectiles landing on the pitch as pressure mounted on the MC Alger defence.
The equaliser arrived from the penalty spot following a foul by full-back Aymen Bouguerra, who was penalised for pulling an opponent’s shirt as a cross from Merghem was delivered from the right.
After a heated exchange and a VAR check, Mechairia upheld his decision.
Mohamed Amine Madani converted, his effort clipping the inside of the left post before beating Guendouz in the 82nd minute.
JS Kabylie pressed for a winner in stoppage time, striking the far post more than once as coach Josef Zinnbauer urged his side forward, but the breakthrough never came.
The draw keeps MC Alger top with 32 points and at least one game in hand, despite the frustration of dropping two on the road.
JS Kabylie remain 10th, level on 19 points with ninth-placed CS Constantine.
