KUMHLABE umxhwele ukunqoba esinye isicoco seCaf Champions League ne-Al Ahly umgadli weBafana Bafana, uPercy Tau.
IRed Devils iphinde yaba ngompetha base-Afrika ngesikhathi inqoba i-Esperance yaseTunisia ngo 1-0 emlenzeni wesibili womdlalo wamanqamu obuseCairo International Stadium ngoMgqibelo ebusuku.
Umlenze wokuqala owadlalelwa eRades, eTunisia, waphela zibambene ngo 0-0.
UTau (30), odabuka eMalahleni, eMpumalanga, usenezindondo ezintathu zegolide zalo mqhudelwano omkhulukazi wamaqembu kwizwekazi i-Afrika.
Isicoco sokuqala wasinqoba neMamelodi Sundowns ngesizini ka-2015/16, esesibili wasithatha ne-Al Ahly ngesizini ka-2022/23, njengoba esethathe esinye naleli qembu lase-Egypt.
Uyena yedwa umdlali wakuleli oseke wanqoba le sicoco amahlandla amathathu.
Omunye wakuleli onezindondo ezintathu zegolide zeCaf Champions League ngumqeqeshi uPitso Mosimane, owathatha le ndebe neMamelodi Sundowns ngesizini ka-2015/16, wayiphinda kabili ne-Al Ahly ngesizini ka-2019/20 neka-2020/21.
“Ngijabule kakhulu. Kumnandi ukuthi kulokhu indebe siyiphakamisele ekhaya, eCairo. Lezi ezinye ezimbili sasizinqobele ekuhambeni ngakho-ke le ikhethekile kakhulu,” kusho uTau ephawula ekhasini le-African Football kwiYouTube.
“Umdlalo ubunzima futhi besikulindele lokho ngenxa yokuthi umlenze wokuqala waphela ngo 0-0. Njengoba sisheshe salithola igoli bekusemqoka ukuthi siwulawule umdlalo, sizame ukuvikela igoli ebesinalo.
“Abalandeli bethu basithwalile njengenjwayelo. Nakubona kusho lukhulu ukusibona siphakamisa indebe ekhaya.”
UTau ushaye igoli elilodwa emidlalweni engu-12 yeChampions League kule sizini. Wenze kangcono kweye-Egyptian Premier League lapho esehlohle khona amagoli amahlanu kweyisishiyagalombili.
Uthe ugculisekile ngomgqigqo wakhe kodwa futhi usengakwazi ukubhukula.
“Kusahamba kahle kule sizini kodwa lihlezi likhona ithuba lokwenza okungcono. Ngisadlale imidlalo embalwa kwiligi, ngidlale kakhulu emidlalweni yeCaf naseqenjini lesizwe. Iseminingi imidlalo esele ngoba asikakawuqedi nomzuliswano wokuqala kwiligi yasekhaya,” uqhube kanje.
Khonamanjalo: Imibiko yabezindaba e-Egypt ikhomba ukuthi kusekhona ukushayisana phakathi kukaTau nomqeqeshi wakhe uMarcelo Koller.
Lo mqeqeshi odabuka eSwitzerland, umkhiphile uTau ngomzuzu ka-67 ngoMgqibelo, indawo yakhe yathathwa ngu-Aliou Dieng waseMali. UTau akafihlanga ukuthi simnengile lesi sinqumo ngesikhathi eseyohlala ebhentshini. Ngokusho kwemibiko, kungenzeka iqembu limhlawulise ngalokhu.
Kwenzeka lokhu nje, kwake kwavela imibiko yokuthi uKoller uke wakhetha ukungamdlalisi imidlalo ilandelana yize ebengalimele.
Inkontileka yakhe ne-Al Ahly izophela ekupheleni kukaJuni ngonyaka ozayo. Ngasekuqaleni kwalo nyaka, kuke kwabikwa ukuthi iRed Devils ihlose ukuyivuselela kodwa iqembu alikakamemezeli lutho kuze kube manje.