Durban City FC made a winning start to their first-ever CAF InterClub campaign after the Citizens secured a 1–0 victory over Rukinzo FC in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup First Preliminary Round at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday.
The Citizens endured a difficult opening half as Rukinzo put them under pressure, with City struggling to keep possession and settle into the game.
Head Coach Khalil Ben Youssef reflected on City’s difficult first half, with the Citizens unable to settle into their usual game.
“We didn’t start well in the first half. We were rushing and lost a lot of possession, and the players looked under pressure. At half-time, we spoke to the players about keeping calm, playing our game and enjoying the football,” said Ben Youssef.
City came out stronger after the break and created a number of chances before taking the lead in the 66th minute. The Citizens then held on to their advantage to keep a clean sheet and take a 1–0 lead into the second leg.
Ben Youssef was pleased with the response after the break and highlighted the importance of the result.
“The second half was much better from us. We dominated the game, created a lot of chances and managed to score. For us, the most important thing was to win and keep a clean sheet,” he said.
Despite the win, Ben Youssef has called for focus from the Citizens ahead of the return fixture, with the 1–0 advantage leaving the tie open. Rukinzo also showed enough quality in attack to give City problems during the first leg.
“It’s not a safe result. It’s a tricky result, so we need to prepare ourselves properly for the second game,” he said.
The technical staff will now focus on preparing the Citizens for the return leg, with the team needing to maintain its advantage and secure qualification for the Second Preliminary Round.
“Our job as a technical staff is to prepare the players mentally, physically and tactically. The most important thing is that we have to be ready for the game,”said Ben Youssef.
Durban City face Rukinzo FC in the second leg in Burundi on Sunday, 13 September
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