Raja Casablanca held by RS Zamamra in Abdul Karim Al-Jinani’s first match as permanent coach

Raja Casablanca were held to a 2-2 draw by RS Zamamra in a friendly match on Sunday, marking Abdul Karim Al-Jinani’s first outing since being officially appointed head coach of the Moroccan club.

The two sides met at Raja’s Green Club Academy as they used the international break to prepare for the resumption of the Moroccan professional championship.

The match provided Al-Jinani with an opportunity to assess his players and experiment with different tactical options ahead of the next stage of the campaign.

Raja’s goals were scored by Baltaib and Al-Sharaibi, but they were unable to secure victory against their opponents.

Al-Jinani oversees first match after permanent appointment

The friendly was Al-Jinani’s first test since Raja’s management confirmed his appointment as head coach, having previously taken charge of the team on an interim basis.

The club decided to hand him the position permanently after he guided Raja to two important victories against the Royal Army and Ittihad Tangier.

Those results helped the Green Eagles regain their competitive balance and strengthened the case for his appointment.

Three players rested for friendly

Al-Jinani opted to leave Mohamed Boulksout, Ismail Mokadem and Nigerian forward Mathias Ayusi out of the friendly as part of the club’s management of players’ physical workload during the international break.

The coaching staff instead used the encounter to evaluate the readiness of the available players and assess their options before competitive action resumes.