Woody Jacobs: "It [African Stars out of Caf Confederation Cup] was terrible"
African Stars coach Woody Jacobs said the manner in which his side crashed out of the Caf Confederation Cup was “terrible”.
Stars were eliminated from the competition after losing the second leg of the preliminary round qualifier 3-0 against Petro Atletico in Luanda on Sunday.
The Angolans won 3-2 on aggregate.
According to Jacobs, his charges were always on the back foot from the moment veteran defender Hartman Toromba scored an own goal just two minutes into the match played in front of a strong home support at the Estádio 11 de Novembro.
Senegalese Ladji Keita levelled the tie just before halftime and sealed the victory for the Angolans in the 88th minute.
“It was terrible. It is very difficult to swallow,” Jacobs told The Namibian Sport on Tuesday.
Jacobs, who had previously guided Civics past Angolan opposition to the second round of the second-tier Caf club competition in 2006, conceded that his charges were outplayed and could barely contain the incessant pressure applied by the hosts.
The match was a stark contrast to the first leg in Windhoek just over a week ago, when Stars put in an accomplished display to take a 2-0 lead to Luanda, Jacobs said.
Petro Atletico will next face Ghana Premier League side Ebusua Dwarfs, who eliminated Senegalese side ASC Jaraaf 1-0 on aggregate.
“It was tough. We cannot complain that we were poorly treated or the ref was unfair. The truth is that Petro played better than us on the day. They were more determined to win and after we conceded a goal so early, they had the momentum,” Jacobs said.
The youthful coach added that after having enjoyed a relatively steady second half, Stars were pinning their hopes of progression on a penalty shoot-out.
“We improved in the second half. We wanted to go to penalties because there was no way we could beat them in the game. We gave it our all but it was not to be,” he said.
Stars' defeat on Sunday meant Namibia's long awaited return to continental competition was short-lived as Black Africa were also eliminated by Kaizer Chiefs in the Champions League a day earlier. BA were held 1-1 at home after having lost the away leg 3-0.
However, Jacobs was quick to denounce talk of failure, saying continued participation in international club competition held the key to improving domestic football.
“I have no doubt in my mind that it has benefited us a great deal. We are not happy that we lost but we should not be disappointed as Namibians that both Stars and BA are out,” he said.
“I would recommend without hesitation that anyone who qualifies must be supported to play in these competitions. If Stars qualify, I will definitely tell my chairman that we need to play in Africa.”
Stars have precious little time to wallow in the sorrows of their defeat, with Eleven Arrows poised to add to their woes when they clash in the FA Cup on Saturday.
“We have to re-align our thoughts. We have to dust ourselves off and concentrate on doing well in the Bidvest [Namibia] Cup and the NPL [Namibia Premier League]. We know that winning these competitions is our way back into Africa,” said Jacobs.
- namibian.com.na
Stars were eliminated from the competition after losing the second leg of the preliminary round qualifier 3-0 against Petro Atletico in Luanda on Sunday.
The Angolans won 3-2 on aggregate.
According to Jacobs, his charges were always on the back foot from the moment veteran defender Hartman Toromba scored an own goal just two minutes into the match played in front of a strong home support at the Estádio 11 de Novembro.
Senegalese Ladji Keita levelled the tie just before halftime and sealed the victory for the Angolans in the 88th minute.
“It was terrible. It is very difficult to swallow,” Jacobs told The Namibian Sport on Tuesday.
Jacobs, who had previously guided Civics past Angolan opposition to the second round of the second-tier Caf club competition in 2006, conceded that his charges were outplayed and could barely contain the incessant pressure applied by the hosts.
The match was a stark contrast to the first leg in Windhoek just over a week ago, when Stars put in an accomplished display to take a 2-0 lead to Luanda, Jacobs said.
Petro Atletico will next face Ghana Premier League side Ebusua Dwarfs, who eliminated Senegalese side ASC Jaraaf 1-0 on aggregate.
“It was tough. We cannot complain that we were poorly treated or the ref was unfair. The truth is that Petro played better than us on the day. They were more determined to win and after we conceded a goal so early, they had the momentum,” Jacobs said.
The youthful coach added that after having enjoyed a relatively steady second half, Stars were pinning their hopes of progression on a penalty shoot-out.
“We improved in the second half. We wanted to go to penalties because there was no way we could beat them in the game. We gave it our all but it was not to be,” he said.
Stars' defeat on Sunday meant Namibia's long awaited return to continental competition was short-lived as Black Africa were also eliminated by Kaizer Chiefs in the Champions League a day earlier. BA were held 1-1 at home after having lost the away leg 3-0.
However, Jacobs was quick to denounce talk of failure, saying continued participation in international club competition held the key to improving domestic football.
“I have no doubt in my mind that it has benefited us a great deal. We are not happy that we lost but we should not be disappointed as Namibians that both Stars and BA are out,” he said.
“I would recommend without hesitation that anyone who qualifies must be supported to play in these competitions. If Stars qualify, I will definitely tell my chairman that we need to play in Africa.”
Stars have precious little time to wallow in the sorrows of their defeat, with Eleven Arrows poised to add to their woes when they clash in the FA Cup on Saturday.
“We have to re-align our thoughts. We have to dust ourselves off and concentrate on doing well in the Bidvest [Namibia] Cup and the NPL [Namibia Premier League]. We know that winning these competitions is our way back into Africa,” said Jacobs.
- namibian.com.na
