Fadlu Davids’ Simba SC surrendered their lead to suffer a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Algerian side CS Constantine in their second match of the CAF Confederations Cup at Stade Mohamed-Hamlaoui stadium on Sunday. 

The Tanzanian giants broke the deadlock in the 24th minute through defender Hussein Mohamed. They were well on securing maximum points but a lapse in concentration in the second stanza left a lot to be desired. In the early exchanges of the second half, Constantine asked all sorts of questions to the visitors’ defense and reaped the rewards as Abdulrazack Hamza put the ball in the back of his net in the 46th minute due to the pressure. 

The host team grew in confidence and ultimately scored the second and match-winning goal four minutes later thanks to Brahim Dib who capitalized on Simba’s mistakes at the back to snatch all the crucial three points. The result saw Davids’ charges drop down to third place in Group A standings as they couldn’t follow up on their 1-0 victory over group stage debutants Angolan outfit Bravos Do Maquis in matchday one. 

Meanwhile, the Algerian club, who kickstarted their campaign with a 1-0 away win to CS Sfaxien maintained their spot at the summit of the table with six points, three goals scored and one conceded with a single clean sheet. In the other encounter that took place in Group A, Bravos Do Maquis stunned three-time CAF Confederations Cup winners Sfaxien with a 3-2 win at home, handing them their second defeat to move up to second while the Tunisians are rooted at the bottom. 

Now, with stakes getting even higher, Simba on their quest for a first continental title, will host a desperate CS Sfaxien at Benjamin Mkapa stadium on 14 December, while table-toppers Constantine visit Bravos on the same day.