BERKANE, Morocco – Zamalek coach has voiced discontent over the team’s poor start in the first-half of the Confederation Cup final against RS Berkane of Morocco, urging his players to put up an even better showing in the return-leg in Cairo.
The Whites’ has arrived in Cairo earlier Monday after losing 2-1 to RS Berkane in the first leg of the final.
“I am not happy with the way we started the game and not happy with how we conceded goals. I can’t say we played badly, but we didn’t play as we wanted,” Jose Gomes said after the game.
“We prepared well for this game to come and win. Now we will have to prepare for the next game in Cairo, and we hope for a better game,” noted the Portuguese coach explaining that that his side failed to capitalize on the opportunities in the first half.
“We will now need to prepare for the return game in Cairo and we are optimistic for a better performance,” Gomes said.
The result at the Municipal Stadium leaves the final delicately balanced ahead of the return match on May 19 in Cairo, where a 1-0 win for the Egyptian giants would give them overall victory on away goals.
The hosts had a dream start after being awarded a 13th minute penalty, converted by skipper Issoufou Dayo, and then grabbed a second goal in the 32nd when Adil Tahif squeezed in a header at the back post catching out goalkeeper Mohamed Awad.
But Zamalek, who won the Confederation Cup five years ago when they beat Berkane on penalties in the final, netted a potentially vital away goal two minutes into the second half as Tunisian striker Seifeddine Jaziri powered home a header from Ahmed Zizo´s cross
Berkane came close to restoring a two-goal lead when Youssef Mehri´s shot skimmed the bar in the 62nd minute, Reuters reported.
The return leg in Cairo next Sunday will see Berkane, winners in 2020 and 2022, seeking a third success in the continent´s secondary club competition.
Despite his side’s victory, Mouin Chaabani cautioned against complacency in the return leg with his side carrying the slender advantage over the Egyptian giants.
“I am happy with the home win which was attributed to a very good first half that we had, though there was visible laxity in the second half, which is something we have to improve on,” Chaabani said according to cafonline.com.
“We are going to Egypt, and we know it will not be an easy game. We have to change our strategy and ensure we rectify our mistakes to be able to get positive results,” he added.
The Moroccan club qualified for the final after a disputed semi-final against holders USM Alger.
Neither leg of the tie was played during a diplomatic spat over Berkane displaying a map of Morocco on their shirts featuring the disputed annexed territory of Western Sahara that Algeria does not recognise.
Berkane had their kit confiscated by Algerian customs when they travelled for the first leg last month and they refused to play. They were awarded a 3-0 victory by the Confederation of African Football´s disciplinary committee.
Continued attack in the Zamalek danger area, saw the White Knights conceding an early penalty in the opening 10 minutes that saw RS Berkane captain, Dayo stepping up to power the hosts ahead with a well taken penalty to give his side the lead.
With the roaring crowd of the Moroccans behind them, the two-time champions continued surging forward against a Zamalek side that was struggling to contain the relentless attacks.
The early goal injected life into the Zamalek attack who was buoyed by their confidence boosting goal.
Despite the new-found confidence, the Egyptians could not break the stubborn RS Berkane defence led by the experienced Dayo.
Both sides continued asking questions of each other, but resolute defence saw them deny each other potential goalscoring opportunities for the match to end 2-1 in favour of RS Berkane.
