Simba SC head coach Fadlu Davids - Photo Courtesy Simba Media.
Simba SC head coach Fadlu Davids believes his charges showcased one of their best performances this season after defeating Bravos do Maquis from Angola 1-0 in their CAF Confederation Cup opener at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Wednesday.
The Wekundu wa Msimbazi needed a penalty courtesy of Jean Ahoua to carry the day. However, Simba had to thank their goalkeeper Moussa Camara, who saved a penalty from Emmanuel Edmond in the 48th minute to keep the game in their favour.
Speaking after the South African coach said as quoted by the Guardian: “Fantastic performance in the first half, exactly where we want to play - in the opposition’s half. Our rest defense was really good, and our ball possession was excellent. We kept them in their own half and did not allow any transitions.
“They hardly entered our defensive zone, so it was a fantastic performance. That’s exactly how you want to start the CAF Confederation Cup group stage. It’s the performance we envisioned.”
Davids, however, urged his players to learn to kill games off. “Very good performance, but we have to kill off the game when we are playing so well. In the second half, the game became too transitional -moving from one end to the other. That’s something we need to control better.
"Of course, we still created big chances, but if you don’t kill off the game, it always becomes tense and edgy. Nevertheless, I’m very happy with the players - they executed what we wanted. We still have to grow as a team and gain experience, as most of our players are new to this competition.”
Davids concluded: “Three or four players have CAF experience, but the rest do not. These moments help us learn, grow, and improve. We analyze the performance and set the bar high as we prepare for the next matches.”
Simba will next face Algerian giants CS Constantine on December 8.
コメント