Mainland envoys in the CAF Confederation Cup Azam are confident that they will finish off the job against Ferroviario de Beira of Mozambique when the two sides face off in the second leg in Maputo in a fortnight.
Azam FC
Azam failed to utilise to the maximum their home ground advantage and managed a razor-thin 1-0 victory over Ferroviario de Beira in the first leg match played at Chamazi Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.
A lone first half goal by striker Kipre Tchetche of Ivory Coast was all the hosts could manage at their own backyard. The slender lead casts doubt on their chances of progressing to the next round, considering that their opponents are more experienced and will do all they can to cash in on the home ground advantage.
But Azam defensive trio of Himid Mao, Said Mourad and Malika Ndeule remain optimistic keeping Ferroviario de Beira at bay in the return leg and sail through to the first round. “They (Ferroviario de Beira) are good, but we’ll go there and try to beat them at their home pitch as well.
We have seen them here and don’t expect them to be any different,” Mao, mid-cum-defender said. Azam are making their second consecutive appearance in the continental tournament and in their debut last year they were stopped in the second round. No nonsense defender Mourad allayed fears over a possible first-hurdle tumble for the ice-cream makers, insisting that they are more than capable of registering a double against the Mozambican side.
He said: “Ferroviario de Beira are very good, strong and fast, they’re determined on the pitch, they’re truly tough opponents, but I can assure you that we’re going to beat them again at their own turf.”
Ndeule predicted a tough return game but was adamant that the quality of squad plus a two-year experience in continental football will help Azam through. “We expect a tough return leg, but we’re playing in this tournament for the second year now, so we have the experience that we can use to knock them out,” he said.
Speaking after the match Azam assistant coach Kali Ongala was happy with the result but bemoaned the fact that his side wasted many scoring opportunities. “It was a good game…we created many scoring chances but luck was not on our side,” said Ongala.
Ferroviario’s coach Lucas Barralijo vowed that his side will bounce back in the second leg match and reach the next round. “Azam are a good team but we’ll fight to the bitter end in the return-leg match to ensure we go through to the first round,” Barralijo said.
Source Tanzania Daily News
