Despite winning the CAF Confederation Cup, RS Berkane coach Moine Chaabani showed great respect for Simba SC attacking midfielder Joshua Mutale, describing him as the biggest challenge they faced in the second leg of the final played recently at the New Amaan Complex in Zanzibar.
Chaabani did not hide his emotions after the final match, which ended in a 1–1 draw, with RS Berkane securing the title with a 3–1 aggregate victory. According to the coach, Mutale's performance—particularly in the first half—completely disrupted the game plan of his team.
"Mutale gave us a lot of trouble. We knew Simba had quality midfielders, but when we came up against him on the pitch, he forced us to change even our defensive structure. He’s a quick-thinking player, has great vision, and bursts from central positions with a speed that troubles defenders. In the first half, we had no answer for him," said Chaabani.
Mutale, who played alongside Charles Jean Ahoua and Elie Mpanzu behind striker Steven Mukwala, formed an attacking trio that put immense pressure on Berkane’s defense. He scored the opening goal for Simba before RS Berkane equalized through Soumaila Sidibe in the second half.
For his outstanding performance, Joshua Mutale was named Man of the Match, a prize he accepted humbly but with a sense of disappointment, wishing it had come alongside the trophy.
"I'm proud of this award, but it would have meant much more if we had managed to win the cup. We believed, we fought hard, we got an early goal, but the result went against us. It’s a learning opportunity,” said Mutale after the match.
Mutale also reflected on how the game changed after Yusuph Kagoma was shown a red card in the 50th minute:
“We were reduced to ten men very early in the second half. That completely changed the way we had planned to play. But we still gave it everything—we fought until the end.”
The Zambian star closed by thanking Simba fans for their unwavering support throughout the tournament:
“To our fans, thank you for your endless support. You’ve been with us every step of the way, from the first game to this final. We hurt together today, but we will rise and come back even stronger. This is Simba – we don’t give up.”
