Early goal destabilized us, says Esperance coach Daoud

Esperance assistant coach Nader Daoud has decried the early goal that they conceded against Al Ahly in the first leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, saying it threw them off balance.

Ahly scored as early as the eighth minute and went on to win the game 3-0 in Rades, handing themselves a massive advantage heading to next weekend’s return fixture in Cairo.

“The early goal destabilized us and it was difficult for us to bounce back. Despite that, we created opportunities and attacked well, but we couldn’t score. We conceded in the second half through counter attacks when we pressed forward to try get a goal back,” said the coach.

He adds; “We played against a very strong opponent and they deserved to win.”

Daoud says the absence of some key players affected them, but notes they will give a fight in the return tie to try and turn the tide in their favour.

“Nothing is lost yet. We have to keep fighting and hopefully we can get a good result,” he added.

Esperance will need to win the match by a four-goal margin to make it to the final.