Namungo face Al Hilal with eye on next stage
Namungo FC players leave the pitch during the first Confederation Cup encounter against Al Rabita of South Sudan which was held at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam. The Tanzanian side today face Al Hilal Obeid of Sudan in the second leg encounter scheduled to start in Khartoum from 4pm Tanzanian time. photo| file
What you need to know:
- Namungo Football Club who are featuring in the competition for the first time, only need a draw in this match to qualify into the next stage of the tourney
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s representatives in African Confederation Cup, Namungo FC, today face Al Hilal Obeid of Sudan in a decisive encounter at the Al Hilal Stadium in Khartoum from 4pm Tanzanian time .
Namungo FC can afford to lose 1-0 and still qualify for the next stage to play against one of the teams that would have been eliminated in the African Champions League.
In the first match, Namungo FC won 2-0 at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam. Stephen Sey scored in the first leg, adding to a brace he had bagged in the preliminary round victory over Al Rabita of South Sudan.
Obeid regressed from quarter-finalists to first round losers in three consecutive Confederation Cup appearances from 2017.
As per records, today’s encounter should not be easy due to the fact that the two teams target the next round qualification. Namungo - who are placed 15th in the Mainland Premier League - drew 1-1 in their last encounter against Coastal Union at the Mkwakwani Stadium, while Al Hilal Obeid lost 2-1 against Al Khartoum FC in the Sudan Premier League.
The club’s head coach, Hemed Morocco, said he would like to see his team maintain its winning streak in the competition in order to qualify for the next round. The coach also said he is optimistic to secure good results in the match despite the fact that Al Hilal Obeid are among the tough teams in the competition.
“We are honing our players, as we need to record a victory in the match in order to qualify for the next stage of the competition. We will play with determination in the encounter, as we are aware that our opponent needs at least two goals to level the score. It is not an easy encounter; but all our players are in shipshape,” Coach Morocco said.
Meanwhile, the Kampala Capital City Authority of Uganda are trailing AS Kigali of Rwanda 2-0 even though the first leg was not played.
Since the new coronavirus pandemic spread to Africa, CAF ruled that clubs must have at least 15 fit players to feature in an international fixture - and Kampala had only 13 in Rwanda. This situation led to the first leg being cancelled and Kigali awarded a 2-0 victory - leaving Kampala with a tough task if they want to reach the Groups stage for a second time in five footballing seasons.
Zambian clubs usually succeed when they meet Mozambican opponents in CAF competitions. So, it was a surprise when Napsa Stars could only draw 0-0 when they hosted UD Songo.
