CAF Confederation Cup holder, USM Alger on Sunday fell to a 1-0 loss to Nigeria's Rivers United at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium Uyo thanks to Augustine Okejepha 10th minutes beauty, Nigeriasoccernet.com earlier reported.
The game which sawthe host dominate from start to finish produced just a goal and with his team playing second fiddle for the entire duration, USM Alger coach Juan Carlos Garrido believes his team would have done better had it not been for the Ramadan fast.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) had announced a change in time for the game from the initial 5 pm to 2 pm, a decision that did not go down well with the Algerian side.
“As we expected, it was a very difficult match because of the quality of our opponent (Rivers United), who we respect a lot. We also played this game in Ramadan without eating or drinking, which wasn’t a good condition for my team.
“To play at 2 pm in this weather condition is not ideal. I know the home team has the right to choose when to play, but in my opinion, in this situation, the organizers (CAF) have to respect our position. I’ve to congratulate my players for playing in such a condition.”
Carlos Garrido full of confidence beleive his team will easily overturn the one goal deficit this weekend in Algiers.
“Rivers United was better than us. But anyway, no excuses, congratulations to them for winning. I believe we’ll be in a much better condition when we play the return leg in Algeria. At our stadium, we’re going to play to win."
The return leg is will be played at the Stade du Juliet Algiers this Sunday.
By Oluwayemi Omolagba