By FRANCO PANIZO
Samir Handanovic may not have ended April with a shutout performance, but the Slovenian goalkeeper capped off one of the stronger months of the season for Udinese by helping the club to a 4-1 win against Siena.
Handanovic started his 35th game of the season and made three saves in the relatively easy victory, which improved Udinese to 3-0-1 in April. In that four match span, which included a 3-0 triumph against Juventus, Handanovic and his defense surrendered just two goals while the offense scored 10.
Slovenian defender Bojan Jokic and Chievo Verona also won this weekend, and Jokic played a key role in his club's triumph. Deployed as a left midfielder, Jokic delivered the game-winning assist with a lovely chipped pass that paved the way for Chievo's 2-0 blanking of Fiorentina.
As for the Algerians Abroad, they had one of the worst weekends in recent memory with only three players finding playing time. Defenders Hassan Yebda, Ismael Bouzid and Antar Yahia all saw the field, but none of their respective clubs were able to pull out a victory.
Here is how the Algerians and Slovenians Abroad performed this weekend:
ALGERIA
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
- Defender Nadir Belhadj did not dress in Portsmouth's 2-2 draw vs. Bolton Wanderers on Saturday. He is recovering from a groin injury.
- Midfielder Hassan Yebda started and played 45 minutes in Portsmouth's 2-2 draw vs. Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
- Forward Kamel Ghilas did not dress in Hull City's 1-0 loss vs. Sunderland on Saturday.
ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP
- Forward Hameur Bouazza did not dress in Blackpool's 1-0 win vs. Peterborough United on Saturday.
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
- Defender Madjid Bougherra did not dress in Rangers' 1-0 win vs. Hibernian on Sunday.
- Defender Ismael Bouzid started and played 90 minutes in Heart of Midlothian's 2-0 loss vs. Motherwell on Saturday.
SPANISH LA LIGA
- Midfielder Mehdi Lacen did not dress in Racing Santander's 2-1 loss vs. Villarreal on Sunday.
ITALIAN SERIE A
- Midfielder Abdelkader Ghezzal did not dress in Siena's 4-1 loss vs. Udinese on Sunday. He was serving a one-game suspension due to yellow card accumulation.
- Midfielder Mourad Meghni did not dress in Lazio's 2-1 win vs. Genoa on Sunday.
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
- Defender Antar Yahia started and played 90 minutes in VfL Bochum's 2-0 loss vs. VfB Stuttgart on Friday.
- Midfielder Karim Matmour did not dress in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 1-1 draw vs. Bayern Munich on Saturday.
- Midfielder Karim Ziani dressed but did not play in VfL Wolfsburg's 1-0 loss vs. SC Freiburg on Sunday.
- Forward Chadli Amri dressed but did not play in Mainz 05's 3-3 draw vs. Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
BUNDESLIGA 2
- Forward Noureddine Daham did not dress in TUS Koblenz's 6-1 loss vs. St Pauli on Friday.
FRENCH LIGUE 1
- Midfielder Yazid Mansouri dressed but did not play in Lorient's 1-0 loss vs. Bordeaux on Saturday.
PORTUGUESE LIGA SAGRES
- Defender Rafik Halliche dressed but did not play in CD Nacional de Madeira's 1-1 draw vs. Pacos de Ferreira on Sunday.
GREEK SUPER LEAGUE
- Forward Rafik Djebbour and AEK Athens' season is over.
- Midfielder Salim Arrache and PAS Giannina's season is over.
SLOVENIA
ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP
- Defender Suad Filekovic did not dress in Barnsley's 1-0 loss vs. Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
- Midfielder Robert Koren started and played 71 minutes in West Bromwich Albion's 1-1 draw vs. Crystal Palace on Saturday.
ITALIAN SERIE A
- Goalkeeper Samir Handanovic started, played 90 minutes and made three saves in Udinese's 4-1 win vs. Siena on Sunday.
- Defender Bojan Jokic started, played 90 minutes and had an ASSIST in Chievo Verona's 2-0 win vs. Fiorentina on Sunday.
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
- Forward Milivoje Novakovic started and played 77 minutes in FC Cologne's 1-0 loss vs. Werder Bremen on Saturday.
- Defender Miso Brecko started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in FC Cologne's 1-0 loss vs. Werder Bremen on Saturday.
- Forward Zlatko Dedic came off the bench and played 21 minutes in VfL Bochum's 2-0 loss vs. VfB Stuttgart on Friday.
BUNDESLIGA 2
- Defender Matej Mavric started and played 90 minutes in TUS Koblenz's 6-1 loss vs. St Pauli on Friday.
- Midfielder Goran Sukalo came off the bench and played 5 minutes in FC Augsburg's 1-1 draw vs. FSV Frankfurt on Friday.
FRENCH LIGUE 1
- Defender Bostjan Cesar started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Grenoble's 2-1 loss vs. Nice on Saturday.
- Forward Valter Birsa started and played 90 minutes in AJ Auxerre's 3-0 win vs. Toulouse on Sunday.
DUTCH EREDIVISIE
- Midfielder Dalibor Stevanovic and Vitesse Arnhem did not play this weekend.
PORTUGUESE LIGA SAGRES
- Midfielder Nejc Pecknik came off the bench and played 45 minutes in CD Nacional de Madeira's 1-1 draw vs. Pacos de Ferreira on Sunday.
GREEK SUPER LEAGUE
- Midfielder Aleksander Radosavljevic and Larissa's season is over.
- Midfielder Mirnes Sisic and PAS Giannina's season is over.
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What do you think of these performances? Any player(s) you're particularly worried about? Think Handanovic will present problems for American forwards? Starting to think Algeria will be an easy win for the United States?
Share your thoughts below.