Kitara goalscorer Wahab Jadavi insists Al Ahly tie is not over

Kitara forward Wahab Jadavi says his side still have a chance of reaching the next round of the CAF Confederation Cup despite a 2-1 defeat by Al Ahly in the first leg of their second preliminary-round tie.

The Ugandan side took the lead through Jadavi in the first half, but Al Ahly turned the game around after the break. Omar El Saai equalised before Ahmed Zizo scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in the closing minutes.

“Initially, nobody expected us to produce this kind of performance,” Jadavi told Ugandan newspaper Daily Monitor. “I believe we gave everything we had, but it was not enough.”

“We know they are the better team, and we wanted to give our best and at least try to qualify,” he added.

“Things did not go in our favour this time, but it is not over yet. We still have another 90 minutes, and we will continue fighting to qualify.”

Jadavi opened the scoring after exploiting space behind the Al Ahly defence. The move began on the left, where Martin Kizza delivered a cross following an attacking move involving striker Patrick Kaddu.

The 30-year-old said his understanding with Kaddu played an important role in creating the opportunity.

“We have many attackers in the team, and each one has a different style. When I play alongside Kaddu, I know how I need to move,” Jadavi said.

“It is often difficult to find Kaddu inside the penalty area. When he creates that space, I have to take advantage of it,” he added.

Al Ahly secured victory with second-half goals from El Saai and Zizo. The goal was El Saai’s first for Al Ahly in all competitions.

El Saai has made 16 appearances for Al Ahly since joining the club from Ismaily.

Al Ahly will now return to Egyptian Premier League action when they face El Qanah. The match will take place in the league’s seventh round on Wednesday, 21 October.

Al Ahly’s most recent Egyptian Premier League fixture ended in a 2-0 victory over Zamalek.