Azam Coach After Wydad Defeat: "Ziyech Made the Difference in the Second Half and Gave His Team the Advantage"
Florent Ibenge, coach of Tanzania's Azam FC, praised the performance of Moroccan international Hakim Ziyech for Wydad AC during the match between the two teams, which was part of the final round of the CAF Confederation Cup group stage.
Speaking at the post-match press conference following the 2-0 defeat, Ibenge stated: "I believe we delivered a good performance for a period, but unfortunately, we didn't score, even though we had several chances to do so and failed to capitalize. Then, in the second half, the opponent pressed us, and we reacted in turn."
He continued: "We tried to bring on more attackers to increase pressure and maintain our chances of scoring. However, we conceded a goal from a counter-attack in the final minutes. Despite everything, I am proud of my team's players because no one expected this level from us. We have learned a lot, and we will see what happens next time."
Ibenge added: "I believe Ziyech made the difference in the second half and gave his team the advantage. There was a powerful shot from Hakim that my goalkeeper saved, but he helped his team push forward, and we couldn't stop the opponent. These are some of the lessons we will take away, and we will work to improve in the future."
