Super Division: ASEC hope for a comeback
Mimos midfielder, Hugues Zagbayou
This will be the primary objective of Coach Sébastien Desabre and his men on Saturday 14 July 2012 in the opening match of week two of the Super Division at the Stade Robert Champroux de Marcory against JCAT.
Galvanised into action by their qualification for the final four of the National Cup, the Mimos will oppose the Abidjan team for a place on the podium; a crucial clash for the Yellow and Black who only swear by the national title.
This ambition is shared by the entire direction of the club, amongst whom the first-in-charge, Roger Ouégnin. To encourage his protégés, the director of ASEC set the victory bonuses at 150,000 F CFA with an additional bonus of a million if they are crowned.
This signal was well-received by captain, Okou Zahui Stéphane and his team-mates, who defeated Bouaké FC in the quarter finals of the national Cup last Wednesday.
ASEC want to remain in this run of success and record their first victory in the Super Division, which will be no small feat for the Sol Béni players against the leader of the competition.
The Abidjan players thumped Séwé Sports de San-Pedro (3-0) in the first week, assuming first place in the league standings, a privilege that they are not planning to lose following their elimination in the quarter finals of the National Cup.
Their main goal is qualification into an African competition next season, and the Super Division is JCAT’s last ticket.
“We exited the National Cup, but there is the Super Division left to save our season. We are going to give everything to reach it. We were given the task of qualifying for an African Cup. So with this in mind, we will be tackling ASEC this Saturday (14 July). We know each other well by now,” confided JCAT coach, Tapé Valentin.
ASEC Mimosas and JCAT were both members of Group B in the first phase of the championship and know each other very well.
Their double clash ended in a victory on both sides, with JCAT inflicted ASEC’s first defeat of the season in the fifth week (1-0), before crashing on the same score in the second leg.
Their third rendezvous of the season will thus be the decider. Should they win, the Abidjanais will be firmly positioned in the leader’s seat, while the Mimos, with only one point to their names, will slide down to the bottom of the log and of course further from their main goal, which is to succeed Africa Sports d’Abidjan on the winners’ list in the National Championship.
Despite this, Asec Mimosas will begin as favourites in this match, and Sébastien Desabre’s team will hope to benefit from the hiding received by JCAT in the Côte d’Ivoire Cup to pocket the three points.
Stella Club d’Adjamé were taken by surprise by AFAD in the dying moments of their week one clash (3-2), but have since found their smile again and enjoyed victory. The Magnans thrashed JCAT (3-0) in the quarter finals of the Côte d’Ivoire Cup.
The Green and Whites will try to take strength from this big win in a repeat performance against USC Bassam, on Sunday 15 July at the Parc des Sports. But after holding ASEC (1-1), USC Bassam will also be fired up.
The final match of week two of the Super division between Séwé Sports and AFAD has been postponed until Thursday 19 July 2012 because of the Académiciens de Djékanou’s away game against WAC de Casablanca this weekend in the second leg of the Confederation Cup round of sixteen.
PROGRAMME: WEEK 2 of the IVOIRIAN SUPER DIVISION 2012
Saturday 14 July 2012
ASEC Mimosas-JCAT (Stade Robert Champroux-16h00)
Saturday 14 July 2012
ASEC Mimosas-JCAT (Stade Robert Champroux-16h00)
Sunday 15 July 2012
USC Bassam-Stella Club d’Adjamé (Parc des Sports-16h00)
USC Bassam-Stella Club d’Adjamé (Parc des Sports-16h00)
Thursday 19 July 2012
Séwé Sports-AFAD (Stade Robert Champroux-16h00)
Séwé Sports-AFAD (Stade Robert Champroux-16h00)
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