Tanzania’s Simba SC Lose To African Champions Waydad In A Do-Or-Die Quarter-Final

By Prosper Makene African champions the Moroccans Wydad Athletic Club has defeated Tanzania’s Simba SC 4-3 in a penalty shootout to qualify for the CAF Champions League semi-final, where they will face either South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns or CR Belouizdad of Algeria. Simba SC were the only Tanzania’s envoys in the African Champions League, that saw them out after a hard work against African champions at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca but failed in a penalty shootouts. Waydad’s forward Bouly Sambou’s sends shocks to Simba SC fans in mid minutes of the first 45 minutes of play after scoring a free header from the penalty  box. Simba were in need of only a draw of any kind in order to advance to the semis because, in the first leg they won 1-0 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. Waydad’s reserve goal-keeper El Motie who played in semi-final games in Tanzania’s Benjamin Mkapa and at the Mohammed V stadiums saved two penalties. El Motie started saving the penalty kicks played by  Shomari Kapombe and Simba’s Clatous Chama from Zambia. Erasto Nyoni, Saidi Ntibazonkiza and Moses Phiri scored for the Tanzanian football giant. Wydad did not miss any of their efforts as they expertly slotted home four spotkicks and didn’t need to go into the fifth after Chama’s miss. Waydad players who scored their penalty kicks are Yahya Jebrane, Ayoub El Amloud, Amine Abdoulfath and Abdellah Haimoud. However, the Waydad vs Simba SC clash was officiated by Chadian referee Alhadi Allaou Mahamat, who was at the centre, while his assistants were Elvis Guy Noupue Nguegoue from Cameroon and Issa Yaya, also from Chad. The fourth official was Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail from Sudan. Third Champions League title (2022–present) One day after the club's 85th anniversary, Wydad defeated Atlético Petróleos de Luanda 4–2 on aggregate (3–1 away and 1–1 at home) to advance to their 5th Champions League final and the 3rd one in 6 years. On 30 May 2022, in a rematch of 2017 final, Wydad AC beat defending champions Al Ahly in the final to be crowned champions of Africa for the third time in its history, thanks to a brace from the Man of the Match, Zouhair El Moutaraji. During this campaign under Walid Regrgui role, the Red Castle has achieved many national records in the CAF Champions League: First Moroccan team to win an away semi-final match, most wins for a Moroccan team in a single season (9 wins), most goals scored in a single season (28 goals), and first Moroccan team to go undefeated for 9 straight games in a single season. With this win, Wydad played in the first-ever all-Moroccan CAF Super Cup against 2021–22 CAF Confederation Cup winners, RS Berkane. On 21 July 2022, Wydad was elected as the best Club of the year in the 2022 CAF Awards.