Shooting Stars Sports ClubShooting Stars of Ibadan are confident of advancing to the next stage of the CAF Confederation Cup despite a slim first-leg advantage over CS Sfaxien of Tunisia.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that 3SC secured a 1-0 victory over the Tunisian club at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena, Abeokuta, on Saturday when Lucky Emmanuel scored the decisive goal in the 25th minute to give the Nigerian side a deserved lead before the break.
CS Sfaxien came out strongly in the second half, piling pressure on Shooting Stars in search of an equaliser but the goal keeper was too good to let in any goal.
However, the Shooting Stars defence remained resolute, frustrating the Tunisian side and preventing them from finding a way through.
Shooting Stars had opportunities to extend their lead towards the end of the match but failed to convert the chances.
The victory gave Shooting Stars an important advantage ahead of the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup campaign next weekend
But at the post match news conference, Shooting stars head coach, Salisu Yusuf, said his players could have won by a wider margin, having created several scoring opportunities.
Yusuf said the team could have scored three or four goals but acknowledged that football could be unpredictable.
He expressed optimism ahead of the return leg in Tunisia, saying Shooting stars would approach the encounter positively rather than simply defend their advantage.
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The coach said the pressure on the Tunisian side to score would create opportunities for Shooting stars to exploit on the counter.
Yusuf recalled his experience in continental football, including a previous away victory in Egypt while managing Rangers, saying such experiences had strengthened his belief in securing a positive result in Tunisia.
He added that the team had undergone significant transformation since his arrival, expressing confidence that further improvements would be recorded in the coming months.
On the fitness of a player who sustained an injury during the match, Yusuf said the player would undergo further medical assessment, expressing hope that the injury was not serious.
Yusuf said his team would adopt a highly tactical approach in the second leg to secure the result needed to progress.
NAN
