Staff Reporter.
Petro de Luanda must pull off mission impossible in the second leg of their CAF Champions League semifinal tie against Wydad Casablanca at the Mohammed V Stadium on Friday.
The Tricolores suffered their first defeat in seven matches when Wydad ran out comfortable 3-1 victors in the first leg at the 11 November Stadium last Saturday.
Alexandre Santos’s side saw plenty of the ball but they allowed the Red Castle too much time and space when not in possession and were made to pay dearly.
An own-goal from Tiago Azulao gave the Moroccan champions the lead on 16 minutes and Yahya Jabrane doubled their advantage on the stroke of halftime before Guy Mbenza sealed the victory in the 68th minute.
Job pulled one back for Petro nine minutes from time to give them a glimmer of hope, although they would need to inflict a first home defeat on Wydad in the competition this season, while also preventing them from scoring in Casablanca – a feat only achieved by CR Belouizdad in the quarterfinals with a 0-0 draw.
Walid Regragui’s team scored 11 goals and conceded just two at the Mohammed V Stadium in the group stages, although the Angolan giants were one of the two opponents to breach their defence.
Wydad also have the added incentive of playing on home soil in front of their own fans should they reach the final on 30 May after CAF announced on Monday that Morocco will host the showpiece event.
Head-To-Head
Prior to the semifinal, first leg, the two teams had met six times before – all in the CAF Champions League. They were drawn together in the group stages during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, as well as this term.
The Red Castle boast five wins, with their biggest victory coming earlier this year when they thumped Petro 5-1 on matchday 6.
The Tricolores had claimed their first-ever triumph over Wydad on matchday 2 with a 2-1 success in Luanda. The spoils have been shared on one occasion following a 2-2 draw in the Angolan capital on 11 January 2020.