Krol savours continental glory

CS Sfaxien coach, Ruud Krol is reveling in his team’s triumph in the 2013 Orange CAF Confederation Cup, where they pipped DR Congo outfit, TP Mazembe to the title.Sfaxien lost 2-1 in the final second leg on Saturday in Lubumbashi, but a 2-0 win from the first leg saw them cruise to the title 3-2 on aggregate.The Tunisians survived several onslaughts from their hosts, who went up early through Cheibane Traore and Mbwana Samatta, before Sfaxien’s danger-man Fakhereddine Ben Youssef scored in the dying stages to hand his side their third title after 2007 and 2008.The Dutchman was full of praise for his team for the spirited effort that saw them confirm their status as the most successful in the history of the second-tier continental club championship with three wins.

“We started badly with feverish defending from tactical errors. After half time, there was a slight improvement in our play,” he told the media after the game.Krol emphasized that he remained optimistic despite the constant threat from TP Mazembe, inspired by their teeming fans.“We never gave up despite the constant threat from them (Mazembe). Our efforts were happily crowned by a late goal that won us the title.”It was his second major title with Sfaxien after guiding them to the Tunisian League crown earlier in the year.On his part, Fakhreddine who terrorized the Mazembe rear with his surging runs said a united effort led them to the crown.“We were deeply convinced that the return leg would be more difficult. Despite this, our mind was never altered. We always believed it was possible and we got our target in the end,” said Fakhreddine.Sfaxien are 660,000 US Dollars richer by the feat and will face Orange CAF Champions League winners, Al-Ahly of Egypt in next year’s Orange CAF Super Cup.

Krol savours continental glory