RS Berkane edge Zamalek in thrilling CAF Confederation Cup final first leg

* We lost something in Egypt in 2019 and we want to bring it back—captain Issoufou Dayo

* As captain of the team, I always try to bring the calm and the serenity to all my teammates

Maravi Express

Morocco’s RS Berkane will head to next weekend’s CAF Confederation Cup final’s second leg with a one-goal advantage after edging Zamalek 2-1 in the first leg at the Berkane Municipal Stadium on Sunday evening.

First half goals by captain, Issoufou Dayo as well as Adil Tahif ensured the two-time champions head to Cairo with a slender lead for what promises to be a highly entertaining second leg final in Egypt.

RS Berkane are eyeing revenge over their foes as the Moroccan side were denied their first continental title by the Egyptians five years ago and this final repeat presents the ideal opportunity for them to not only clinch their third title, but avenge a defeat that dates back to 2019 in what was Zamalek’s only CAF Confederation Cup title.

Dayo Isoufou said: “As captain of the team, I always try to bring the calm and the serenity to all my teammates. We have a lot of promising players.

“In 2019, I played the final against Zamalek and unfortunately, we didn’t win. It is a bad memory for me. I think that we have lost something in Egypt in 2019 and we must bring it back home this time round.

“It will not be easy against a good side like Zamalek but as players we are motivated to get the trophy and to make our fans happy.”

His coach Mouin Chaabani said: “We are in a tricky situation as we have injured players who we hope will be available before the decisive second leg against Zamalek.

“We are dealing with the absence of several key players, including Abdelkarim Baadi, Oussama Lamlioui, Youssef El Fahli, and Youssef Zghoudi.

“However, this doesn’t mean we are going to be pushovers. We respect Zamalek and we will ensure that we utilise the home advantage by working hard to get positive results in what will be a tough match.”

Sharing his disappointment, Zamalek coach José Gomes attributed the loss to a poor start, adding that they would need to be well prepared for the return leg in Cairo.

“I am not happy with the way we started the game and not happy with how we conceded goals,” he said. “I can’t say we played badly, but we didn’t play as we wanted.

“We prepared well for this game to come and win. Now we will have to prepare for the next game in Cairo, and we hope for a better game”, said Gomes.

With home ground to their advantage, it was no surprise that Berkane took control of the game in the opening stages and the continued attack in the Zamalek danger area saw the visitors conceding an early penalty in the opening 10 minutes that resulted in skipper, Issoufou Dayo stepping up to power the hosts ahead with a well taken penalty to give his side the lead.

With the roaring crowd of the Moroccans behind them, the two-time champions continued surging forward against a Zamalek side that was struggling to contain the relentless attacks.

The hosts doubled their lead in the 32nd minute after a pin-point cross from a corner by Mohamed El Morabit found Adil Tahif who headed into the bottom right corner to extend the hosts’ lead ahead of the break.

The Egyptians returned from the recess a more structured outfit and wasted no time in getting back into the game with the aim of reducing the deficit.

A lapse of concentration just seconds from the resumption saw Ahmed Sayed, with his fifth assist of the competition finding Seifeddine Jaziri, who’s powerful header found the bottom left corner to reduce the deficit.

The early goal injected life into the Zamalek attack who were buoyed by their confidence boosting goal.

Despite the new-found confidence, the Egyptians could not break the stubborn RS Berkane defence led by the experienced Dayo. Both sides continued asking questions of each other, but resolute defence saw them deny each other potential goalscoring opportunities for the match to end 2-1 in favour of RS Berkane.—Reporting by CAFonline