20th September, 2010
Heartland coach, Samson Siasia, has lashed out at his players after they were forced to a 1-1 draw by JS Kabylie of Algeria in their final CAF Champions League Group B match in Owerri yesterday.
It was a most disappointing Champions League campaign for ‘The Naze Millionaires’, who were beaten last year in the final of the competition.
They crashed out of this year’s tournament in the group stage with five points from six matches.
“It was most disappointing that my players could not even control the ball,†Siasia told MTNFootball.com immediately after yesterday’s match, played inside a virtually empty Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri.
“This was not a great experience for me because a coach is judged by his last result.â€
Siasia said that he plans to embark on a massive recruitment drive so as to transform the fortunes of the Owerri outfit.
“I now have to buy new players to fortify this team as I had to make do with what I inherited from the former coaches,†he moaned.
Heartland appeared to be on course to appeasing their home fans with a victory when they went ahead through a penalty converted by striker Emeka Nwanna after Joshua Obaje was fouled inside the box.
However, Nabil Yalaoui equalised for the North Africans in the 50th minute when he tucked home the ball after goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi failed to hold on to a shot from inside the box.
The equaliser was heartbreaking because it came just minutes after skipper Chinedu Efugh’s header was ruled offside by South African referee Daniel Bennett. There will also be efforts by John Owoeri and Obaje late on, but it was the Algerians who almost snatched victory in stoppage time when Yalaoui scoffed his shot from inside the box.