Young Africans Coach: 'Long Journey to Morocco, Late Army Goal Was Difficult'

Pedro Gonçalves, head coach of Tanzania's Young Africans, acknowledged the difficulty of their CAF Champions League group stage matchday five encounter against AS FAR, stating that circumstances favored the home side. Speaking at the post-match press conference following the 1-0 defeat, Gonçalves said: "The result was not as we expected. I believe we had the right plan, but in my opinion, there was a factor that gave AS FAR more advantage, because according to the schedule, they had the opportunity to play two matches at home, while we traveled a long distance to get here."

He added: "We spent two days preparing, and that was difficult for us, but we tried to prepare the team physically and mentally well. The current weather conditions and facing a strong, physical team also negatively impacted us."

Gonçalves continued: "I think we were able to manage the match. We didn't give the opposing team any real chances, and although we weren't as decisive as we wished most of the time, we did a good job in our defense."

Regarding the decisive moments of the match, Gonçalves stated: "We should have been able to score at that moment. Unfortunately, while the score was level, we squandered opportunities, and then conceded the goal in the last five minutes of the second half. That was very difficult for us."

The coach concluded: "Even after that, we created a significant chance to equalize, but it didn't materialize. This is football, and it's not over yet. Yes, we are not in the position we desire, but we have to believe again."