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Raja Cassablanca were held to a 1-1 draw in their CAF Champions League Group H match on Saturday, becoming the first side to pick a point off the Moroccan side in the competition this season.
Raja Casablanca head coach Mondher Kebaier said there were fears over his players’ fitness and health on the St. Mary's Stadium artificial pitch, saying ‘everything was fine, apart from the pitch’.
Raja Cassablanca were held to a 1-1 draw in their CAF Champions League Group H match on Saturday, becoming the first side to pick a point off the Moroccan side in the competition this season.
While the Tunisian coach was upbeat about the performance of his side, especially with the wholesale changes to his side, he took aim at the pitch.
“Now I don’t understand how you can play the best club competition on artificial pitch,” said Kebaier, who had declared that his team have the potential to compete on any surface before the game.
“You know there are fears over injuries, and we had a couple of slips and misplaced passes during the game. It took us a long period to adjust and get used to. It was not easy.”
“I say, when it comes to competitions like the Champions League, we have to get the best (facilities). When it comes to the playing surface and the stadiums it always has to be the best.”
“Yes, I acknowledge that there were areas that were indeed good, but we can do better and we should be have better.”
Kebaier saw his side thump Vipers 5-0 in their first meeting last month, but despite a 20-minute period of dominance in the first half, the Green Eagles were pushed all the way by a much improved Vipers.
Behind the electrifying support at Kitende, the Venoms started brighter, dominating one on one battles and also squeezing Raja out of operating space.
The Green Eagles however, rode the storm and took the lead in the 18th minute when Zakaria Labib’s cross was poked in by Soufianne Benjdida from close range for his second goal of the competition .
Vipers retained faith and drew level at the stroke of halftime when Abubakar Lawal turned in Issa Mubiru’s cross.
The result did not have any impact on Raja's progress to the quarter finals, which they had already earned with four victories from four group games to reach the last eight in consecutive seasons.
Vipers meanwhile, enjoyed their best Champions League night, but crashed out of the competition at the first hurdle, with Simba SC’s humiliation of AC Horoya in Tanzania sealing their fate.
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