Al-Hilal Omdurman

Al Hilal coach Irad Zafouri blames pitch for Caf Confederation Cup defeat to Nkana

Al Hilal coach Irad Zafouri has blamed the condition of the Nkana Stadium pitch for their defeat to Nkana in a Caf Confederation Cup Group C match on Wednesday.

Nkana came from behind to grab the win after Waleed Bakhet Hamid had given Al Hilal the lead seven minutes in to the match off an assist from Idriss Mbombo, a former Nkana player, who left the Zambian giants last October.

But Freddy Thsimenga hit back for Nkana on 14 minutes, before captain Walter Bwalya sealed victory for Nkana 15 minutes before time. After the defeat, Al Hilal coach Zafouri pointed to the state of the rain-damped pitch for his side's loss.

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“Today the pitch was not good because of the rain and we also did not have that attitude to play in this weather. We were just not good enough today," Zafouri was quoted as saying by Cafonline.

The result saw Al Hilal lose their first Group C match after beating Asante Kotoko in their opening game. The Sudanese giants dropped from top spot to second while Nkana remained bottom of the group despite the win.

“I am happy that we have collected maximum points. It wasn’t easy playing Al Hilal because they came here with two intentions, to get a draw or a win,” said Nkana coach Beston Chambeshi.

Nkana visit Asante Kotoko in their next match while Al Hilal will be back in Zambia to face Zesco United.

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