After ‘the miracle in Marrakesh’ BW’s best braced for Simba’s roar
After their weekend heroics in Morocco, condemning the mighty Wydad AC to a rare home defeat, Jwaneng Galaxy have their sights set on slaying another African giant: Simba SC.
Botswana’s best will host the Tanzanian titans in Francistown on Saturday as the CAF Champions League group stages heat up – with kick-off set for 3pm, ‘hot’ it surely will be!
Fresh from ‘the miracle in Marrakesh’, when a classy 33-minute Thabang Sesinyi lob was enough to secure an unlikely win over three-time champions of Africa, Wydad, Galaxy sit top of Group B.
Adding to the feel-good factor around the club, the diamond boys have fond memories of their recent meetings with Simba.
When the sides met in the tournament’s preliminary stages two years ago, Galaxy found themselves 3-0 down on aggregate at half-time in the second leg.
On the brink of elimination, Galaxy’s stars rose from the dead in Dar es Salaam, scoring three times in a stirring second-half comeback.
The tie finished 3-3 and Morena Ramoreboli’s troops progressed to the group stages on away goals, becoming only the second BW team after Township Rollers to go so deep into Africa’s premier club competition.
Two years on from that famous October turnaround in Tanzania, they find themselves in history-making territory once again.
In the 2021/22 edition, Galaxy managed a single point from their six group games; Saturday’s stunning success over Wydad means they have already tripled that tally at the first attempt. And they’re not done yet!
However, Simba, who drew their opening game against Ivory Coast’s ASECS Mimosas after being ahead at half-time (a familiar shortcoming it seems!), will be in Ghetto on the prowl for both revenge and precious points.
Speaking to Voice Sport, Galaxy PRO, Tankiso Morake, stressed the team would not be getting carried away after their North African exploits, and were fully-focused on the Simba game.
“We arrived back in Botswana on Monday, trained on Tuesday and are due to leave for Francistown after training tomorrow, where we will complete our preparations,” said Morake on Tuesday afternoon, adding there were no new injury concerns.
When asked if he thought beating Wydad was the greatest result in Galaxy’s nine-year history – an achievement so momentous that Moroccan journalists voiced suspicions witchcraft must have been involved! – the spokesperson insisted it was not.
Morake mentioned the fight-back against Simba as well as knocking Orlando Pirates out of the competition on penalties back in September as two results that rivaled ‘the miracle in Marrakesh’.
“Our team is used to winning; look at our track record since joining elite football nine years ago,” he said of the two-time Botswana champions.
With a potential spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on the horizon, (the top two teams from the group will progress) the good times could soon get even better for BW’s history makers.
The next two weeks will go a long way in defining if Galaxy proceed; after the roar of Simba, they take on Mimosa at the Obed Itani Chilume on 9th December.
Destiny awaits, but the mining boys will have to dig deep once again!