Tusker FC head coach Julien Mette has admitted to a lingering sense of disappointment following his side’s 2-2 draw against Sudanese outfit Al Ahly Madani in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round tie, blaming inexperience and tactical immaturity for surrendering a comfortable two-goal lead.
The Brewers were in firm control at halftime after opening a 2-0 lead, before a second-half defensive lapse allowed the Sudanese Cup winners back into the match.
Reflecting on the collapse ahead of Saturday’s second leg, the French tactician noted that his young squad struggled to manage the game once under pressure without key senior figures on the pitch.
“There’s a little disappointment from the first leg because we were leading 2-0. Regarding the scenario, when you’re leading 2–0 at halftime, you have to secure it.
But the lack of experience and immaturity of the team because it’s a young team and some of our leaders were not on the pitch they were positioned between two chairs, not knowing whether to keep possession to score a third or secure the result.
We played too many long balls and were punished,” Mette explained.
Despite the setback, Mette emphasized that the technical bench has used the week to address the tactical flaws exposed in the second half while working to exploit Al Madani’s defensive vulnerabilities.
“This lesson has been understood by the players. We are preparing to improve our weaknesses and continue playing into the weaknesses of the opponent. We had opportunities on specific tactical points and we have to continue, because they have weaknesses we identified that worked well for us,” he added.
Addressing the nature of the goals conceded in the first leg, Mette described them as preventable errors rather than structural failures.
“The two goals of Al Madani were gifts,one set-piece that was very badly managed and the second a penalty. The number 10 who scored was hard to identify beforehand because we only had footage from three friendly games where he played maybe ten minutes. That’s the difficulty of the first round. Now we know them 100%, so we will not be surprised.”
Tusker FC will host Al Madani in the decisive second leg of their 2026/27 CAF Confederation Cup first preliminary round tie on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.
Following their 2–2 draw in the opening fixture in Kigali, the Brewers hold a slight advantage on away goals and need a win or a low-scoring draw (0–0 or 1–1) to advance.
Should Julien Mette’s side complete the job on home soil, the aggregate winner will progress to the second preliminary round to face either Singida Black Stars FC (Tanzania) or Al-Ghazala SC Wau (South Sudan) for a spot in the CAF Confederation Cup group stage.