Following Simba SC's elimination from the African Football League, a club official has insisted that if Al Ahly were better than his team, they would have been defeated by the Egyptian giants.
The Tanzanian side was dumped out of the AFL on Tuesday evening following 1-1 draw with Al Ahly in the quarter-final second-leg clash in Cairo.
Read: Petro boss makes big Downs admission after AFL exit
It was the Red Devils who advanced to the semi-finals, though, via the away goals rule after the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate.
Marcel Koller's charges will now face South African powerhouses Mamelodi Sundowns in the first leg of their semi-final on Sunday at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, with the reverse fixture set to take place on Wednesday, 1 November, in Egypt.
Although Simba will now turn their focus to the CAF Champions League group stage, the club's media and communications Manager, Ahmed Ally, has now offered up an unwavering message about their AFL exit at the hands of the most successful team in CAF competition.
"We have failed to bundle out Al Ahly but that does not discourage us, because we have shown our abilities to the entire world that we are too a strong side, mind you, we were playing against the No. 1 team in Africa," he told Daily News Tanzania.
"We are the only team to exit the tournament without losing any match; in the first-leg duel, we stamped a 2-2 draw, and here (in Egypt) we have secured a 1-1 draw.
"This means on the pitch, we were at the same level with Al Ahly because if they were better than us, they could have defeated us in either of the two matches played, but we have shown our potential.
"I do not think that there is any Egyptian who is ever going to undervalue Simba, basing on the performance showcased in both legs of the tournament."
Read: OPINION: Why CAF's two-legged finals format needs scrapping
Simba head coach Roberto Oliveira added: "Listen, we played well, we scored before our opponents and congratulations to my players because it is not easy to play out of the country.
"The most important thing is that football is played for 90 minutes, but congratulations to my opponents because they have qualified."
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