No room for complacency, Simba coach tells players

Dar es Salaam. After guiding Simba to the Caf Champions League quarter-finals, coach Patrick Aussems has urged his players not to rest on their laurels.

“We had hoped (for this) and we believed in our team, but the feeling when we finally entered the quarter-finals cannot be compared to anything,” he said yesterday.

A last-gasp goal by Clatous Chama gave Simba a 2-1 home win against AS Vita Club of DR Congo on Saturday night.

It also gave the Msimbazi Reds a second place in Group D behind Egypt’s Al Ahly, and a place in the last eight for the first time in 16 years, a result that surprised even some fans.

“Everyone knows where we are standing on this game as a club as we seek to qualify for the semi-finals,” the Belgian said.

“I think we are 180 minutes from realising that dream. In short, there will be no room for complacency,” he added.

Chama has a knack of snatching crucial late goals -- he netted one minute from time to squeeze Simba into the group phase at the expense of Nkana FC from Zambia.

Record eight-time African champions Ahly outplayed Algeria’s JS Saoura 3-0 to top the final standings with 10 points followed by Simba (nine), Saoura (eight) and Vita (seven).

Al Ahly were seeded to finish first, but second seeds and former champions Vita disappointed, winning only two of six mini-league matches.

Vita, who had fired five unanswered goals past Simba in Kinshasa two months ago, were first to score at the National Stadium, with Francy Kasengu finding the net on 13 minutes.

Mohammed Husseini equalised nine minutes before half-time and the teams remained deadlocked until 27-year-old Zambian winger Chama struck.

Had the clash been drawn, Saoura would have advanced to the last-eight draw in Cairo this Wednesday despite the heavy loss to Ahly in Alexandria.

The Algerians survived intense pressure for 30 minutes before Fateh Talah conceded an own-goal and Marwan Mohsen doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time.

Hussein el Shahat completed the rout nine minutes from time as Ahly seek to go one step further this season after losing the last two finals.

Trophy-holders Esperance of Tunisia and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa had already secured quarter-finals places, leaving six places up for grabs in the final matchday.

Ahly and Simba were joined by Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, Horoya AC of Guinea, TP Mazembe of DR Congo and CS Constantine of Algeria.

Wydad edged Sundowns 1-0 in Rabat to win Group A on head-to-head records with the lone goal coming from Mohamed Nahiri just past the hour mark.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s match between Simba and As Vita Club raised Sh205.8 million.

Simba players have been given Sh100m for winning the match. The money will be disbursed to them through their bank accounts.

Horoya also triumphed at home to South African opponents, beating Orlando Pirates 2-1 in Conakry thanks to second-half goals from Abdoulaye Camara and Boniface Haba.

The Guineans, who needed one point to eliminate Pirates, finished runners-up in Group B to Esperance, who fielded a team of reserves and still defeated FC Platinum 2-1 in Zimbabwe.

Mazembe replaced Constantine at the top of Group C by beating the north Africans 2-0 in Lubumbashi with Jackson Muleka converting a penalty and veteran Tresor Mputu also scoring.

The Congolese are the second most successful club in Caf competitions, winning 11 titles compared with the 19 of Ahly.