Small details decided the final, says Wydad’s Vandenbroeck

Wydad Athletic Club head coach Sven Vandenbroeck was dejected as his side failed to defend their TotalEnergies 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.

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.

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.

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