Benhalib Hits a Brace as Raja Put Six Past Aduana Stars

Mahmoud Benhalib gave a reminder of his quality with two magnificent goals as Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca brushed aside Ghana’s Aduana Stars 6-0 to climb to the top of CAF Confederations Cup group A.

The 22-year-old has now scored 8 goals for the club in the last four matches to help his side reach the quarter-finals.

Behalib’s team were four goals up before the Moroccan international was introduced in the second half to replace the tired legs of Mouhssine Lajour who netted a brace inside the opening quarter hour.

It was a case of déjà vu for Aduana shortly after Lajour’s braces as Zakarai Hadraf and Soufiane Rahimi added a goal each in the 30^th and 33^rd minute.

Benhalib bagged his first goal midway through the second half, having been introduced in the 62^nd minute, when he collected a pass from Mouhssine Iajour, ran into Aduana area before slotting past keeper Gordon Yeboah.

He added his second soon after. This time the forward demonstrated his poise in front of goal with a good strike after great combination play from Warfali, Hadraf, and Soufiane Rahimi to send Raja’s teeming fans, who thronged the stadium, into a celebration frenzy.

The two strikes against the Ghanaian outfit once again highlighted his all-around abilities as a striker.

The first was about anticipation and coping with a one-on-one situation. Hadraf’s cross should have been cleared by Opoku, but with Benhalib breathing down his neck, the defender missed his kick and the striker pounced.

The second was spectacular. It was the kind of effort that team-mate Walfari would produce, but this time it was Benhalib with the stunning strike after he made space for himself near the edge of the area.

With the final results of the group matches, Raja joins fellow Group A team AS Vita (DRC) in the knock-out stages, together with RS Berkane (Morocco), Al Masry (Egypt), Enyimba (Nigeria), CARA Brazzaville (Congo), USM Alger (Algeria) and Rayon Sports (Rwanda).