Simba sadly end CAF CC campaign after brave fight

ZANZIBAR: IT was a sad evening for Tanzanians after their envoys Simba let the CAF Confederation Cup diadem slip between their fingers following a painful 1-1 draw with RS Berkane at the new Amaan Complex in Zanzibar. Simba fans had a dream of winning an African title on Tanzanian soil, but has faded after the draw.

Simba, who needed a 2-0 to make it level or 3-0 win to overcome a 2-0 setback, fought bravely with many carefully planned raids, but they succeeded only once through Ellie Mpanzu’s brilliant finish.

Despite finishing the match with 10 men and failing to lift the trophy, Simba showcased high-level maturity and quality, something that gives hope not only to Simba in upcoming seasons but also to Tanzanian teams in general to shine on the map of African football.

In this second-leg match played at Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar, Simba proved that they deserved to be in the final, even though the result didn’t go their way.

Simba took the lead in the 17th minute through Ellie Mpanzu, who connected a short cross from Joshua Mutale, giving hope for a comeback in the match.

However, a red card shown to Yussuf Kagoma in the 50th minute was a blow to Simba, as it renewed RS Berkane’s hopes, bringing them back into the game.

Despite being a man down, Simba kept pushing for a second goal, but RS Berkane took full advantage of Simba being reduced to 10 men and managed to control the game and Simba’s attacks.

Eventually, in the final minutes (90+3), Berkane completely dashed Simba’s hopes by scoring an equalizer through midfielder Soumaila Sidibe, making the match end in a 1-1 draw. With this, the aggregate score became 3-1 in favor of Berkane.

Berkane have now won the CAF Confederation Cup for the third time, having previously done so in 2020 and 2022. This also marks a record for RS Berkane, having reached the final five times in seven years.

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This is the second time Simba have reached the final of the Confederation Cup—the first being in 1993 when the tournament was known as the Abiola CAF Cup, which featured a two-legged final.