Wydad Athletic Club head coach Sven Vandenbroeck was dejected as his side failed to defend their CAF Champions League title, saying small details decided the second leg of the final in Casablanca on Sunday night.The defending champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Al Ahly in the return tie, losing the title with a 3-2 aggregate score.“I always said that this match was going to be decided on the small details and we saw that it was the same; a freekick and a corner. In the second half, we played a bit under pressure and that made the difference,” said the Belgian tactician after the match.##NAJAVA_MECA_7311976##The tactician praised his players for their effort, saying they gave their absolute best to try and retain the title and make history for themselves.“It was a balanced game of two strong sides. Unfortunately, luck did not fall on our side and it hurts a lot. I can’t fault the players, they gave it their all, in Egypt and here,” noted the coach.Abdelmonem’s late header silences Casablanca cauldron as Al-Ahly clinch their 11th CAF CL title!Looking back at the match, he said they couldn’t match up to the injection of pace in the second half by Ahly following their early substitutions and that is why they found themselves under pressure.“They increased the tempo to try and find a goal. For me, they were not dangerous but you feel that in possession, they were better than us. We tried to rectify with an additional midfielder to find the right balance, but it did not work very well for us and we conceded from a corner,” Vandenbroeck offered.He adds that his biggest job now is to ensure the team remains focused and mentally strong, despite the disappointment, as they now switch their attention to domestic football.A semi-final duel in the Throne Cup against bigger rivals Raja Club Athletic and a fight for the league title awaits them.Vandenbroeck hopes they can wipe the tears of their defeat in the final with derby day joy against Raja, and a domestic title to close down their season.“Physically and mentally, a defeat weighs heavily on the players. We have a league game on Wednesday and on the weekend too. We don’t have much time so we need to move quick and ensure we bounce back from this,” Vandenbroeck said.Alfred Scriven stars in Norway as Timbe inspires Nanjing City to comfortable winWith four matches to go in the Moroccan top tier league, Wydad are second in the standings with 56 points one behind league leaders FAR Rabat, coach Vandenbroeck’s former employers.They play Hassania Agadir on Wednesday and Olympic Safi on Saturday, two matches that will be key for them in the league title hunt.
