Stellies’ hopes dwindle in African campaign

Herman Gibbs

The hopes that Stellenbosch FC will avoid the CAF Confederation Cup's exit door are quickly disappearing into thin air.

On Sunday, Stellenbosch suffered a second successive Group B defeat at the hands of Moroccan visitors RSB Berkane, eventual 3-1 winners at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. This follows their 2-0 hiding a week earlier by Stade Malien in Mali.

Amidst the challenges of competing in the demanding continental tournament, Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker pointed out that playing away from home greatly contributed to the burden of constant travel and the loss of home-ground advantage.

"It's not ideal that we're not playing in front of our fans and missing the numbers (spectators) at the game to spur us on," said Barker.

"We've already played 20 games this season, and lots of travelling we have done doesn't make it easy. I'm not going to sit here and say that we were poor today we lost 3-1 because of that."

Despite Stellenbosch's setbacks, Barker has not relinquished hope of reaching the Confederation Cup's play-offs. Berkane's two early first-half goals sounded the death knell for Stellenbosch, leaving them unable to recover.

"Had we not conceded goals that early, we would have been in with a chance. I felt that as the game went on longer, they started to struggle in the heat. They started to slow down, and we were getting on top of them. With the lead, they slowed the game down," said Barker.

As a two-time Confederation Cup champion, Berkane fields an experienced squad with many international players. Even though Stellenbosch was aware of what to expect, the visitors' experience ultimately tipped the scales in their favour.

"We knew Berkane would be dangerous in many areas, and their experience was one. They knew when to switch on in the final third when dealing with the supply into the penalty area," said Barker.

"It was a massive learning curve, but I felt we've done ourselves proud by showing the character to try to get back in the game. There was a lot of learning; the way they managed the game, the way they fouled and the way the referees dealt with it.

“These are all things we need to learn and grow from. However, I also believe we can still qualify for the knockout stages."

Barker's optimism stems from his side's performances in the two Confederation Cup group matches.

"Having seen what I saw in Mali against Stade Malien, and what I saw against Berkane, I can say we are not out of this competition," said Barker.

"I think our next game away to the Angolan side is a cup final for us. We have to get points from that and win back-to-back games against them and then the Malians at Cape Town Stadium.

“I believe that's our opportunity to survive the group stage. If we have to go away in the last game of the group stage and get a point or three against this team, it's not impossible."