Tout Puissant Mazembe

After the defeat Saturday and the elimination of the Entente Sportive de Sétif and the qualification of the TPM in semifinal of the CAF Cup, we collected during the press conference, the reactions from Coach of Sétif Kheireddine MADOUI then from the captain of the Black Eagles Amir KAROUIS.

"At home, the TPM is a very complete team and today the Ravens made a very serious match on the tactical plan. The only difference in relation with the first leg in Sétif, that’s where we had a lot of opportunities but without managing to concretize them. I especially assign it to fatigue in first half-time, the long journey we did between Sétif and Lubumbashi weighed heavy. In spite of this aspect, the TPM was well in place and benefitted on every occasion to make the difference even though my team managed to equalize rightly after the opening of the score. In summary, I will say that there was a TPM at 100% of success in the 30 first minutes where they scored 3 goals. It was difficult for us to come in the match..."

"In the half-time, we talked to the players and opted together to keep our composure to practice our own soccer even though we had two goals to go back up. To the resumption, we quite manhandled a little bit the TPM and got a few beautiful opportunities... anyway, my team practiced beautiful soccer and was somewhat superior in the TPM in the offensive animation. In spite of these individual and defensive mistakes that cost us very expensive, the players are not reprehensible after this defeat. The team made a complete match; it was merely facing a better team of Mazembe in difficult conditions."

Amir KAROUI:  "We paid for our mistakes..."

"A lot of sadness after this defeat, because we are eliminated. We were conscious in spite of all problems that we experienced with the dismissal of coach VELUD for example. We decided to come back in the race for the qualification while coming to dominate the TPM at home. It’s pity for us in Lubumbashi, we met a team which squeezed us very tightly and that was well in place in seeking the qualification since the first half-time. In my personal point of view, at the end of 30 minutes we had committed the mistakes that benefitted to the TPM. After, while coming back from the cloakrooms, we came back in the match very well but it was too late..."