MO Bejaia vs IB Khémis El Khechna Match Recap - Oct 16, 2025

MO Bejaia Erupts for Five as Attack Overwhelms Reeling Khemis El Khechna in Statement Ligue 2 Win

For a club hell-bent on keeping pace with the Ligue 2 pack, MO Bejaia’s performance Thursday was far more a clarion call than a simple three points. In a match that tilted from anxious to emphatic and then to outright declarative, Bejaia dismantled IB Khémis El Khechna 5-1, vaulting themselves to nine points from four matches and underscoring their status as early-season contenders.

The air crackled with anticipation at the as-yet unpublicized venue, carrying with it the residue of Bejaia’s stinging 0-3 defeat at Biskra just a fortnight ago. That setback could have sown the seeds of self-doubt; instead, it galvanized a squad that had been quietly stacking results since September’s opening whistle. Bejaia entered the match with three wins from their last four, each one marked by defensive steel—a trio of clean sheets—while their attack had shown just enough bite to keep the conversation interesting.

Against Khemis El Khechna, whose autumn has unfurled as a study in frustration and defensive collapse, Bejaia’s forwards found not only bite but a feast. The opening exchanges hinted that the visitors might at least suffer with dignity, as Khemis El Khechna appeared intent on pressing high and compact. But as soon as the early jitters faded, Bejaia’s movement grew fluid and the chances came in waves, culminating in a breakthrough before the half-hour mark.

It was the kind of goal that can unlace a fragile team: a cutback from the right, a composed finish from near the penalty spot, and suddenly the pattern of the contest was laid bare. Khemis El Khechna, winless and leaking goals—13 shipped in their last four prior to kickoff—now found themselves reeling again. Bejaia, smelling blood, pressed their advantage.

The second goal, arriving from a corner, was an exercise in opportunism. A scrum in the box, a touch of chaos, and the ball bundled over the line. By halftime, the gap had grown to three after a sweeping counterattack ushered in a third, with Bejaia’s wingers stretching the field and exposing vast channels in Khemis El Khechna’s defense.

For the visitors, there was scant comfort in the numbers. Their past four had included three matches without a goal scored, and after last round’s five-goal concession to JS Jijel, the back line was again in tatters despite a spirited effort from their goalkeeper. That spirit flickered after the break as Khemis El Khechna snatched a consolation goal—a brief reprieve, carved from an angled cross and a disciplined header. But even that moment was fleeting.

Bejaia responded like a side with ambitions far beyond the autumn months. Barely ten minutes later, the hosts poured forward yet again, their movement synchronized and their finishing ruthless. A fourth goal arrived—and with it any residual suspense was extinguished. A fifth followed, almost cruel in its inevitability, as Bejaia’s substitutes joined the rout. The scoreboard was not just an indictment of Khemis El Khechna’s porous resistance; it was a marker of intent from a Bejaia side that had learned from its only misstep at Biskra and found renewed purpose.

Referee discipline played little role in proceedings, with no red cards issued, and perhaps mercifully so for the battered visitors. The afternoon’s only real tension was how wide the margin might grow.

For MO Bejaia, now sitting third in the standings with nine points (three wins, one loss), the significance of this victory extends beyond the table. It was a public statement of resilience after an early setback and, more importantly, an unveiling of attacking depth that had previously played second fiddle to stoic defense. The fans and managers alike will regard this five-goal salvo as proof of a team capable of not just grinding out results, but seizing them with authority.

For IB Khémis El Khechna, the autumn has become a cruel echo chamber. Five straight defeats—two in which they conceded five goals—have laid bare a defensive crisis and a crisis of confidence. Rooted near the foot of the table, with 15 goals conceded in just five games and no sign of a pivot, the road ahead is daunting. If survival is to be achieved, it will require not only tactical recalibration but a reconstruction of belief.

As the campaign lurches forward, MO Bejaia’s next steps are now laced with real expectation—a chance to prove this was not an anomaly, but a harbinger of a sustained bid for promotion. For Khemis El Khechna, each round looms as a test not just of ability, but of resolve. In Ligue 2’s unforgiving autumn, Thursday was about separation—of contenders from strugglers, and of those ready for the ascent from those in search of a lifeline.