Wydad Athletic Club's boss has revealed how competing in the African Football League has taken its toll amid his side's post-competition slump.
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Their defeat in the second leg of the AFL final against Mamelodi Sundowns kick-started a four-game losing streak for the Red Castle as losses to Jwaneng Galaxy, Nasreddine Nabi's FAR Rabat and ASEC Mimosas ensued for Wydad boss Adil Ramzi.
Under pressure going into their CAF Champions League encounter against Simba SC on Saturday, a Yahya Jabrane missed penalty luckily proved inconsequential as a 95th minute strike by Zakaria Draouias proved the decisive goal in the 1-0 win that earned the north African giants their first continental victory since the first leg of the AFL final.
After the match against the Tanzanians, former Morocco international Ramzi revealed how the new CAF FIFA initiative took its toll on some of their players.
"The team entered a void due to the accumulation of matches. We performed well against big clubs in the African League competition, and we were one step away from winning the title, and after that we found it very difficult to maintain the same pattern," the 46-year-old told WinWin.
"It was never easy. This is normal, and it is a situation that many international clubs have previously experienced."
Ramzi's job was on the line going into the game against the Reds of Msimbazi, but the ex-PSV Eindhoven youth coach managed to secure a second successive win instead, and now believes that match could reinvigorate his team's season.
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"We achieved two consecutive victories after four previous defeats. This will restore confidence to the players to restore balance in the Champions League and the local league," Ramzi added.
"We have to focus greatly on strong mental presence in the matches, and maintaining the unbridled desire to win from the beginning to the end. We will come back stronger, God willing."
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