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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S Caf Confederation Cup representatives, Triangle United, will be aiming to finish off visiting Tanzanian side Azam and book a ticket to the next stage of the competition when they meet at Barbourfields Stadium tomorrow.
Triangle head to the second leg of the second round of the preliminaries carrying a 1-0 lead, a scoreline that coach Taurayi Mangwiro believes can take them through to the next round.
Ralph Kawondera struck the only goal of the match as Triangle beat hosts Azam 1-0 at the Chamazi Complex, to put themselves firmly in an advantage to qualify for the next round of the Caf Confederation Cup.
That victory meant that Triangle became the first side to beat Azam in a Caf competition game at their home ground. Before losing to Triangle United, Azam had secured a ticket to the first round of the Caf Confederation Cup after overturning a first leg 1-0 away defeat to Fasil Kenema of Ethiopia to prevail 3-1 at home.
In 2017, Azam beat Mbabane Swallows of Swaziland 1-0 at home, and in 2016 they beat South Africa’s Bidvest Wits 4-3 and continental powerhouses Esperance of Tunisia 2-1. Ferroviario Beira of Mozambique fell 1-0 in 2014.
The last team to pick a point against Azam at their home ground in a continental assignment was AS Forces Armées Royales de Rabat (FAR Rabat) of Morocco following a 0-0 draw in 2013.
And being the first side to beat Azam at their home has certainly boosted Triangle’s confidence.
“It’s a sign of self-belief we have. That victory was also a lesson to us that in football you don’t sit on your laurels because of past success. It is good that we’re the ones who ended their fine run, but now the second leg is a different ball game and have to complete the job.
“Everyone is looking forward to the game. We are up against a good team. We might have beaten them at home, but it’s not a done deal yet.
“What is key for us is how we play our roles, how we execute our duties and tasks. I don’t doubt the quality in my team, but how we handle transition, when we have the ball, when they have the ball and when the ball is out will be key to our victory,” said Mangwiro.
A victory for Triangle will see them facing a team that would’ve been knocked out of the Caf Champions League in the next round.
“We’ve done remarkably well so far, having a good start in the three games played. Remember that we haven’t conceded in all those games. We are certainly aiming higher, meaning we are not in this competition to make numbers but to compete,” said Mangwiro. – @ZililoR
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