We lost a bit of identity against MB Rouissat – Rulani Mokwena after MC Alger defeat

MC Alger coach Rulani Mokwena has voiced his frustration following his team’s first defeat of the season.

The South African tactician’s nine-game unbeaten streak in the Algerian Ligue 1 came to an end on Thursday as MC Alger fell 1–0 away to MB Rouissat.

Before the loss, the club had enjoyed a stellar start with eight wins and a draw from their opening nine league matches.

Despite maintaining a four-point lead at the top of the table and holding three games in hand, Mokwena was more concerned with his team’s display than the result itself.

Speaking in a post-match press conference, Mokwena said: “It’s easy for me to digest a result like this because I think they were more aggressive. They wanted it a little bit more.

“They fought in the duels, they picked up second balls, and when the opposition are like this, you accept it with humility and move on.

“Maybe what hurts me the most is not the result. The result is normal in a season with 30 matches. It’s possible to lose one or two away games.

“But of course, as a big team, you can’t lose too many games. But what hurts me the most is the performance.

“We lost a bit of identity, we played too many long balls. But this is a discussion for when we do a review with the group. We’ll try to correct the mistakes.

“But as I said to the players…we have to digest, accept, and move on very fast because we have a lot of games.”

MC Alger will look to bounce back when they face Ben Aknoun at home on Tuesday, December 23.