Durban - Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane feels that the home advantage that Wydad Casablanca had played a role in his team losing the CAF Champions League final 2-0 on Monday night.
Despite only having 33% ball possession in the game, the home side made the most of their crowd support as Zouhair El Moutaraji’s brace helped them to victory.
Speaking after the game, Mosimane appeared to take a swipe at the Confederation of African Football (CAF), for allowing the final to be held in Morocco for a second consecutive year.
Al Ahly had earlier tried to protest in vain for the game to be held at a neutral venue.
“The best team today is the one who lost. We can only talk about winning or losing when we play on a neutral ground and when both sides have an equal number of fans. I think those who were behind this decision are happy today,” said Mosimane.
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Things just did not gel for Al Ahly on the day as only three out of their 11 shots were on target. They ultimately ended up paying the price for failing to string together regular cohesive passes. South African international Percy Tau appeared to be having an off day in front of goal as he failed to make the most from the chances which were presented to him.
“Some people ask me about the formation and the game plan as we lost. I remind them that we used the same formation when we beat Raja in the quarter-finals. Football is about scoring goals. Tau and Mohamed Sherif both missed opportunities,” said Mosimane.
The result prevented Mosimane from making history by winning the Champions League three times in a row. The outcome of the game also marked the first time that the South African lost in the final of Africa’s premier club competition. He previously twice led Al Ahly to the title twice and Mamelodi Sundowns to the crown in 2016 in his previous final appearances.
While he has lost the Champions League, Mosimane can potentially still end his club’s season on a high by leading them to Egyptian Premier League and Egyptian Cup glory. Al Ahly are in third position in the Egyptian top flight log and seven points adrift of first place Zamalek, albeit having played four games fewer than the first place side.
Mosimane’s side will return to action when they play against Masry Salloum in the Egypt Cup Round of 32 on Sunday 12 June.