Kei Emmanuel Duku
The goalless draw between Jamus SC and Sudanese powerhouse Al-Hilal FC in the first round of the CAF Champions League sparked varied reactions from the two opposing benches. While Jamus SC’s Heron Ricardo Ferreira expressed satisfaction with his team’s defensive discipline, Al-Hilal’s Laurențiu Reghecampf voiced his disappointment with the lack of scoring opportunities.
Jamus SC head coach Heron Ricardo Ferreira, who joined the club just a month ago, praised his players’ commitment. “I’m very satisfied about my team, Jamus FC played at a good level,” he said at the post-match press conference. He acknowledged Al-Hilal’s strength, stating, “I know the power of Hilal FC.” Despite the 0-0 result, which he called “not a good result,” he was proud of his players for creating more opportunities than their opponents.
Ferreira defended his team’s conservative strategy, explaining that a more open game would have put them at risk of a major defeat. “If I put three in the attack, sure, Hilal FC will score goals,” he said, adding, “I cannot open and finish the dream today here.” He emphasized that his primary goal was to prevent Al-Hilal from scoring, a strategy he believed was successful.
Meanwhile, Al-Hilal FC’s coach, Laurențiu Reghecampf, saw the result differently. “No, I’m never afraid about football. This is our job and we should not play with this feeling,” he said. He cited the hot weather and his players’ recent return from the national team as factors that made the match difficult. “The preparation for this game was for us little bit in a hurry,” he said, but he was still happy with his players’ performance.
Reghecampf looked ahead to the second leg in Zanzibar, where conditions are expected to be better. “I think the performance for both teams will be different,” he said, noting the cooler temperatures and better field conditions. He expressed confidence in his team’s ability to win at home, despite anticipating a defensive approach from Jamus SC. “We’re going to play home and I know that Jamus FC will come there and try to come by counter-attack and try to defense a little bit,” he said.
He admitted that his team didn’t have many scoring chances, but noted that the chances they did have were “dangerous.” Reghecampf concluded by stating his team’s philosophy. “We’ll try to play every game in the same way. We try to build up, we try to pass the ball, we try to teach the players to play faster and more direct to the goal,” he said. “Today I’m little bit disappointed because we didn’t have more chances to score goals.”
The return league of the CAF Champions league will be played next week in Zanzibar in Tanzania and if by full time the two teams are tied on goalless score line, they will advance to a penalty shout out to determine who progresses to the next round of the competition.