Simba beat Wydad AC 2-0 to renew hope in CAF Champions League

By Osoro Nyawangah, DAR ES SALAAM Tanzania

The Moroccan football giants, Wydad Athletic Club, lost 2-0 to Tanzanian club Simba SC today in the fourth group stage match scheduled as part of the CAF Champions League.

The Tanzania lions, playing in their hometown of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s commercial capital, scored both goals through midfielder Essomba Onana.

The goals that sealed Wydad’s fate were both expertly executed by Cameroonian talent Leandre Willy Essomba Onana, finding the back of the net in the 36th and 38th minutes of the encounter.

The host club, who were desperate for their first group stage win in a grudge match against the former champions who edged them 1-0 last weekend. 

With the backing of the highly vocal crowd, the Tanzanian giants easily outclassed the Moroccans.

Showing his professional coaching skills, Abdelhak Benchikha, an Algerian football coach and former player who is the manager of Simba SC decided to play second selection players to hold Wydad AC in the second half.

The players; Israel Patrick Mwenda,  Kennedy Juma,  David Kameta and Abdalla managed to suffocate the Wydad's strategic scoring engine.

The defeat has complicated matters for the Casablanca team, who have missed out on a chance to get back into the race to qualify for the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League.

Since the start of the tournament, Wydad have only managed to win one of their four matches.

Abdelhak Benchikha

The Moroccan side currently sit bottom of Group B with three points, behind ASEC of the Ivory Coast, Tanzania's Simba and Botswana's Jwaneng Galaxy.

Wydad’s recent run of poor form has prompted the club to sack former coach Adil Ramzi in favor of Tunisian coach Faouzi Benzarti, who had previously led the team to league and CAF Super Cup glory. According to a statement from CAF, the coach “must work his magic” thanks to his highly praised reputation with Wydad.

The Tunisian veteran, who is back in charge of the Moroccan team for the fourth time in his coaching career, will have to live up to expectations if Wydad are to regain the skills with which they once thrilled their fans, CAF said.

Simba squad: Ayoub Lakred, Shomari Kapombe, Mohamed Hussein, Che malone, Henock Inonga/Kennedy Juma, Fabrice Ngoma, Kibu Denis/David Kameta, Mzamiru Yassin, Jean Baleke/John Bocco, Clatous Chama/Abdalla, Willy Onana /Israel Patrick Mwenda - Africa