Dreams FC vs Zamalek: Can underdogs continue fairy tale run in semifinals?”

Dreams FC are into the semifinals of the CAF Confederation Cup and have a clash against Egyptian giants Zamalek.

In this match, they will surely be the underdogs, but they are one of those underdogs who make this game more beautiful.

If we talk about the journey of Dreams then that is nothing but a fairy tale. The club was founded in 2009.  Dreams was promoted to the Ghana Premier League in the 2015/2016 season after moving into the second tier of Ghana football in 2014.

This was when their journey began to heighten. After one year, in 2016, they were demoted to Division One due to an anomaly in the registration of a player. This setback did not kill the dream and they returned to the GPL in 2017.

Dreams had already caught the eye with their capture of promising talents with the two-stage system. Stage 1 is the first team that plays the Ghana Premier League with the stage 2 team being the reserves who play in the division one league.

After several reshuffling in finding the perfect coach for the club, Technical director Abdul Karim Zito chose to take the reins again after Ignatius Osei-Fosu failed in the 2022/2023 GPL season. With little to do to get off to a respectable position on the league table, they compensated themselves with a sixth-place finish and won the FA Cup by defeating King Faisal 2-0.  This gave them an automatic ticket to represent Ghana in the CAF Confederation Cup.

The club nearly pulled out of the competition contemplating investing their scarce resources in the campaign and also inadequate logistics.

“Some of us in management were against the club’s decision to go to Africa because if you look at the record of Ghanaian clubs in recent times in Africa, we thought going to Africa would be counterproductive.

Some Board members saw what we are seeing today that most of us didn’t see and advised that, going to Africa will be beneficial to Dreams FC,” the club’s General Manager. Ameenu Shardow told 3Sports.

Remarkably, the boys have been no flash in the pan, and they have emerged as one of the top four on the highest table and challengers for the title.

Dreams FC became the only Ghanaian side to have recorded two away wins in the knockout stage of CAF competitions in 20 years with away wins over Academica do Lobito (3-2) in December and Stade Malien (2-1) in Bamako.

They had to scale the hurdles of Milo FC and FC Kallon in the preliminary stage to become the first Ghanaian side to reach the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup since 2019.

Dreams FC had a difficult start to their group stage campaign, losing 2-0 away to Club Africain in their first group game.

However, three successive wins against Rivers United and Academica home and away put them in total control in Group C, finishing level on points with Rivers United despite losing to the Nigerian side on the final day.

This remarkable achievement marked the first time a Ghanaian club has advanced to the knockout stages of the competition in two decades but reaching another major milestone in their history by qualifying for the semifinals is commendable.

Karim Zito’s side have scored 20 goals, that’s 1.67 goals per game in 12 games so far in the competition, while they have conceded 13 goals.

Winning five of their last 6 home matches averaging 2.0 goals in their home matches in the CAF Confederations Cup saw them unbeaten at home in 6 matches.

After an exciting run, there is a renewed sense of ambition and confidence not to settle for less than the trophy. From being cautious with a meticulous plan throughout the competition, coach Abdul Karim Zito has set sights on the jackpot.

“We will not let the qualification put us down, we are going to prepare,” Zito affirmed in the wake of the win. “I think people will take us seriously now, but we are going for the ultimate.”

The journey is incredible. The manager, all the players, coaching staff, and everyone associated with the club have worked hard for this success. They are an inspiration for all the professional amateur clubs across the world.

For the fallen giants in Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak, this could eventually inspire a renewal for the two biggest Ghanaian clubs to aim for the upper echelons of Africa football again.

Dreams FC are on track for a historic feat in their debut season on the African continent. This feat can only be achieved if they are able to eliminate Egyptian powerhouse Zamalek SC.

Zamalek is currently struggling in the Egyptian Premier League as they currently sit 15th place in the standings. With their rich history, this is a concern for danger but an advantage for Dreams FC.

With five Champions League titles, 14 Egyptian Premier League cups, and the Egypt Cup an astounding 28 times. Many have wondered, what went wrong with the Royal club but Dreams will care less.

The league form of the White Knights might not tell the whole story of their current circumstances as they have shown in other competitions including the CAF Confederation Cup, that their capability is still more than present.

That notwithstanding, the home invincibility of the Still Believe team may boost their confidence. Given their club philosophy based around disrupting opponents with intensive pressing and attacking with youthful vigour instigated by John Antwi’s experience in Egypt, this may be enough to disrupt Zamalek.

Can Dreams FC meander their way through, stun Zamalek and continue their dream run? The whole world is eagerly waiting for the match to get the answer.

 

Source:norvanreports