By Batsirai Sango.
As the Easter holiday arrived with the Christian community across the globe celebrating the gift of love and forgiveness, the great continent had its football gladiators take to the football collesium for supremacy.
As if it was just mere coincidence it also happens to be the holy month of Ramadan and what a time for the contests with two holy celebrations taking place.
The football loving continent of Africa had been anxiously waiting for the March 29th weekend, as protagonists in the last 8 of the Caf champions league were set to lock horns in the 1st legs of the quarter finals.
Cairo giants Al Ahly and Dar es Salaam favorites Simba SC were first to kick start the last 8 contests on Good Friday, with Simba playing host to their Egyptian counterparts at the Benjamin Mkapa stadium.
And what an electrifying atmosphere it was at the giant stadium in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam.
As Mahmadou Gaye the assassin of Abijan said on Mamelodi Sundowns podcast in the lead up to the mammoth matchups, he jokingly remarked how the passion of the Simba SC faithful would magically create extra space for 20 thousand more fans to make it 80 thousand just so they could cheer their team on.
Both teams started brightly with one of the Simba attackers getting his header over the crossbar just after the first whistle.
That just goes to show the growth of the game on the continent with more fans coming to the stadiums.
With the pendulum swinging from either side of the pitch, Al Ahly pounced on loose clearance from a cross from the right flank with Koka making no mistake putting Al Ahly ahead in the 4th minute.
That early goal was all that separated the two teams and considering the affection of the Simba SC faithful they will go to Cairo in numbers for the return fixture which promises to be a blockbuster as Simba will surely give it their all.
Saturday March 30th saw the rest of the other 3 fixtures taking place with Young Africans another Dar es Salaam juggernaut hosting Mamelodi Sundowns, Tp Mazembe playing host to Petro del Luanda and Asec Mimosa locking horns with Esperance.
And surprisingly in all the quarter final matchups the Simba and Ahly encounter is the only one that produced a goal, with the Saturday matches all ending in goalless stalemates.
It is all to play for then in the 2nd legs with all protagonists in with a chance to make it to the semifinals, in what promises to be a do or die. With all ties evenly poised this season’s CAF Champions league promises to intrigue both football fans and pundits alike.
And with only a few days away from the return fixtures football lovers and stalwarts of the teams to battle it out, are already counting down to the climax of the quarter finals.
As football fans on the continent are getting more daring and adventurous because of their love and passion for the game traveling long distances, as Young Africans supporters once did traveling over 20 hours to Kigali for a Caf match with over 2 thousand fans, one can only anticipate such with two Tanzanian teams in the last 8.
The benchmark in African Club Football seems to be going a notch up every season and this one is no different.
The road to Cairo for Simba SC fans begins now so is for Young Africans to Tshwane and other fans alike whose teams will be playing away in the return fixtures.
