Fadlu Davids reacts to reaching Confederation Cup semi-finals
South African coach Fadlu Davids has helped Tanzania giants Simba SC reach the CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals and in the process gave credit to a former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper for the win.
Simba beat Egyptian side Al Masry 4-1 in a penalty shootout after a 2-0 win in regulation time in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday. Goalkeeper Moussa Camara saved two penalties for the Tanzanian side. The first leg ended 2-0 in favour of Al Masry in Egypt.
Davids says goalkeeper coach Wayne Sandilands and the rest of the technical team deserve full credit for doing a thorough analysis ahead of the quarter-final match.
FADLU DAVIDS CREDITS FORMER ORLANDO PIRATES GOALKEEPER WAYNE SANDILANDS
“The work behind the scenes, the medical team, the players with some injuries, you won’t see it because we don’t say it. But the work done behind the scenes is huge,” said Davids after the Al Masry game.
“The analysis from the goalkeeper coach [Wayne Sandilands] in terms of each penalty, to give [Moussa] Camara the information. A lot of times you only credit the players and sometimes the coach, but the technical team behind the scenes deserves a huge credit for this qualification.”
SIMBA SC REACH THE SEMI-FINALS OF THE CAF CONFEDERATION CUP
Davids also dedicated the win to the Simba fans who have backed him and the team since his appointment at the beginning of the season.
“This one is for the fans. They came in numbers in bad weather. They supported us when we didn’t get good results, they came out in numbers,” he added.
“Without them pushing us for the entire 90 minutes, I don’t think it would have been possible, so this one is for the Simba fans. They deserve it after so many years to go to the semi-finals.”
“It’s very important now for me to inform my players that celebrations have to be cut short because we have not achieved anything yet. Let’s focus on the semi-finals, and then we can get to the final. But we can’t celebrate too much. Yes, it’s a huge milestone, a big achievement for the club.”
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