Simba SC head coach Fadlu Davids has called for significant improvement from his squad ahead of their crucial CAF Confederation Cup semi-final second leg against Stellenbosch FC.
The Tanzanian giants secured a narrow 1-0 victory in the first leg played in Zanzibar last Sunday.
While this result gives them a slender advantage heading into the return fixture at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday, April 27th, Davids expressed his dissatisfaction, believing his team should have capitalized on their home advantage with a more decisive scoreline.
Since taking the reins at Simba at the beginning of the season, Davids has had an immediate impact. The team remained competitive in the Tanzanian Premier League title race for a significant portion of the campaign before ultimately falling behind eventual champions Young Africans.
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Currently, Young Africans lead the league with 70 points from 26 matches, while Simba trail with 57 points but crucially have four games in hand. This suggests that Davids may have shifted his focus towards securing continental glory in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup.
As long as they avoid defeat in the second leg, Simba will progress into their first-ever final in this competition. Conversely, Stellenbosch will need to overcome the deficit by scoring at least two clear goals to advance to the final.
Simba’s 1-0 victory in the first leg at the Amaan Stadium was secured by a goal from Jean Charles Ahoua in first-half stoppage time.
Incredibly, Simba and Stellenbosch are navigating the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for the first time in their histories, presenting a golden opportunity for either side to make further history by reaching the final.
The likely opponent in the final appears to be Morocco’s RS Berkane, who established a commanding 4-0 lead in their first leg against Constantine of Algeria last weekend.
Ahead of the decisive second leg at the Moses Mabhida Stadium this weekend, Davids shared his assessment of the first encounter with iDiski Times. He stated that his team effectively dealt with Stellenbosch’s anticipated tactics but felt they missed opportunities to build a more substantial lead.
Davids elaborated: “I think the game is exactly like we expected.
“They started with a long ball, long throw. Long throw-in, corner kicks, set pieces and transitions were their main threat. But their main threat was mainly the throw-ins so anywhere in their half they stopped to play and throw a long ball into the box.
“And then anything can happen with the weather conditions.”
The coach added: “I think objective done in terms of keeping a clean sheet, but you know we are a big club. Simba Sports Club is a big club, and we cannot be happy with scoreline like this especially when you have moments to make it two or to make it three even to make it four zero.
“So, really clearly we’ve got to improve this performance is not good enough in terms of what the players can do and we really expect, and I know believe me my players will be ready for the return leg once we return to South Africa.”
The second leg semi-final of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederations Cup is set to take place on Sunday, 27 April 2025 at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium. Kick off in Durban is set for 15h00.