Football: African Champions League – preliminary round first leg-Goalless draw leaves La Passe with hard away task |20 February 2006

Contrary to past African club competitions matches played at Stad Linite, not a big crowd turned out for the match which kicked off early (3.15 p.m.), but President James Michel and Sports Minister Sylvette Pool were at the venue to bring their support to La Passe.

Both teams were guilty of missing countless clear chances, but goalie Vincent Euphrasie came up big for La Passe with some important saves to keep a clean sheet in a match which ended scoreless.

Euphrasie saved all what Ferroviaro Maputo threw at him except on two occasions. In the 40th minute, Ferroviaro Maputo’s captain Carles Damiao’s header was cleared on the goalline by Malagasy Eric Rajaobery, who was guarding the left post following a corner kick.

After a string of fine acrobatic saves to keep La Passe in the match, keeper Euphrasie almost turned a villain in the 81st minute. His poor delivery was pounced on by Ferroviaro Maputo’s substitute Lumbombo Musungu who shot into an empty goal.

With ‘keeper Euphrasie caught in no man’s land, La Passe’s captain Verna Rose, who was a rock in the La Passe defence with his hard tackling and good reading of the game, came from nowhere to head the ball into corner.

La Passe had three good scoring chances but could not convert any of them. Melvin Uranie was guilty of skying his fifth minute shot and then shooting wayward in the 42nd minute.

With Tanzanian striker Rashid Mohamed out with fever, his compatriot Salum Kinje tried his best to trouble the Ferroviaro Maputo defence and in the eighth minute he looked like opening the score for La Passe only to be tackled in the nick of time by Gino Niloo.

Coach Marius Fanchette’s team now have to get a win or a draw with goals scored in the return match in two weeks’ time to progress to the first round.

“We played a good match today (Saturday) but it was disappointing not to score. We stand a good chance of getting a good result away provided we continue to train hard and put away the chances we create,” Fanchette told Sports Nation.

Fanchette’s opposite number, Artur Semedo, a former Mozambique midfielder who spent 18 years in Portugal playing for three clubs - Benfica, Maritimo, Academica - and the Portugal national team, was furious after the game.
“We have to blame ourselves for the scoreless draw. We created some good chances and a professional side like ours have to do much better than this. I’m not happy with my players today (Saturday) and they have to play much better and score goals in the return match,” Semedo told Sports Nation.

Coach Semedo, who looks to Chelsea’s manager Jose Mourinho for inspiration, had this to say regarding the decision by Mauritian referee Eddy Simisse not to award Ferroviaro Maputo a penalty after La Passe’s defender Ted Esther had blocked the ball with both hands in the danger zone in the 54th minute.

“This is solidarity between island people. I can’t understand the referee’s decision. This is why African football won’t progress when referees make such poor decisions.

He is a weak referee,” he said.

The goalless draw was the first for La Passe in home leg matches of the African Champions League. In 2003, they beat ASPL 2000 of Mauritius 1-0 and last year they scored twice against l’USJF Ravinala of Madagascar even though the match ended 2-2. They then lost both return leg games to bow out of the competition.

L. K.