adminambition is to try and fire Sudanese giants Al Hilal into the final of this year’s tournament.
Sadomba has been enjoying fine form for Al Hilal in this year’s Champions League and last Friday night, he struck the winner in a 1-0 triumph over Moroccan perennial campaigners Raja Casablanca in Khartoum.
The former Dynamos forward scored the Al Hilal winner from the penalty spot to take his tally to six so far in this competition.
It also equalled his 2008 Champions League record when his goals helped fire Dynamos into the semi-finals before they fell to Cotonsport Garoua of Cameroon.
Ironically, Cotonsport are in the same group with Al Hilal with the pool also including former champions Enyimba of Nigeria.
But more importantly for the Al Hilal fans, Sadomba has once again proved to be their team’s talisman scoring three goals in the opening two games of the mini-league.
The 27-year-old speed merchant had to hold his nerve before an estimated 25 000 crowd, who had packed Hilal Stadium, to convert a 60th minute penalty that gave his side their first win in the mini-league Group A campaign.
According to reports from Khartoum, Al Hilal fielded three new players in their starting line up, including defender Saif Masawi, right winger Tag Eldin Ibrahim and left back Amir Al Rabie while Raja Casablanca missed Rashid Soulaimani who was serving a ban by the Confederation of African Football.
Sadomba had always threatened from the start with the Zimbabwean reportedly combining with Bakri Abelgadir in the opening minute.
The Warriors forward, speaking from his base in Khartoum yesterday said Casablanca who played with a lone striker – Hassan Tir – had defended resolutely for much of the game with Ismail Benhalem and Mohamed Oulihaj outstanding in that rearguard.
Al Hilal thought they had found the breakthrough in the 25th minute when midfielder Khalif headed home but the effort was ruled out for offside.
But there was no stopping Sadomba from adding to his tally on the hour, when a Casablanca defender was adjudged to have handled in the box and Al Hilal were awarded a penalty.
After reaching the six-goal mark, Sadomba said he had now set his sights on increasing his tally and helping Al Hilal reach the final and possibly be crowned Africa’s club champions.
“I would like to thank God for providing the goals and equalling my previous record of 2008 and I hope he will bless me with more goals.
“This year the ambition is to reach the final first and then possibly win the cup but it is not an easy road . . . we are in a tough group because Enyimba, Raja, and Cotonsport are all experienced teams. Enyimba are now leading the group on goal difference and we are second,” Sadomba said.
Sadomba, with 18 league goals from 17 matches, noted that although he was leading the Al Hilal attack, there was always pressure on him to deliver from their demanding fans.
“There is a lot of pressure especially when we are playing at home but I always put all that before God.
“When we got also a penalty against Raja, there were 35 million Sudanese who were watching on TV and in the stadium and they were expecting me to score and being a foreigner it also adds to the pressure but thank God I managed to convert”.
Al Hilal had drawn 2-2 in their opening Group A game against Enyimba in Nigeria with Sadomba firing a brace in that encounter.
But the striker rates their second round game against Club Africain of Tunisia as the best showing in this competition by the Sudanese outfit.
“I think our game against Club Africain in Tunis stands out as the best that we have played so far and I was happy to score in that game.
“It was a decider in terms of who proceeded to the group stages and many people had not given us chance to go and secure a result in Tunis that would knock Club Africain out and maybe that is why there were some disturbances at the end of that game.
“Of course, scoring twice against Enyimba in Nigeria was also great considering that the game was played in difficult and rainy conditions”.
Sadomba, however conceded that Al Hilal were finding the task of chasing glory on two fronts a bit demanding in the face of fierce competition from bitter rivals El Merreikh.
All Hilal, with 43 points, are second and two points behind El Merreikh on the log standings.
“I think the fact that 10 of our players are regulars in the Sudan national team which, like the Warriors, is playing in the Nations Cup qualifiers, then you have to focus on the Champions League and the domestic league games is having its toll on the team.
“In contrast Merreikh only have the domestic games to worry about.
“We also have a number of internationals who play for their respective countries and because there is a lot of travelling and injuries, we may not be able to have a more consistent run in the league but
we are trying our best to take the battle to the wire.
“We are also in the semi-finals of the Sudan Cup,” Sadomba said.
Sadomba also received the praise of Raja Casablanca skipper and defender Oulhaj who told cafonline.com that the striker and two other players had been the three players from Al Hilal who had impressed him most.
“Hilal has good players, they were good hosts. Most of them played well against us and I have been impressed by (No.11) Sadomba, (No. 6) Atir Tomas and the captain,” Oulihaj said.
Sadomba will now be looking forward to transforming his Champions League form to the Warriors when he features for Zimbabwe in a high-profile international friendly against Zambia at Rufaro on August 10.
He is one of three strikers named in coach Norman Mapeza’s 20 man side for the assignment with others being German bound Knowledge Musona and Mamelodi Sundowns’ Simba Sithole.
Online Reporter