ES Sétif Leaves Kotoko Dazed As Wasteful and Hapless Porcupines Lose 1-2 In Accra
Asante Kotoko’s progress in the CAF Confederation Cup hangs in a balance and already in emergency mode needing rescue after a spirited ES Sétif stunned Porcupines in Accra in the first leg of their Confederation Cup encounter.
Having dropped into the competition after failing to go past Sudanese side Al Hilal in the last round of their CAF Champions League fixture amidst allegations of fowl play. A showdown with ES Sétif was a good ground for the Oseikrom boys to appease their teeming fans and also restore the Ghanaian pride in the competition but that seems to be a dream rather than a possibility after they failed to show up when they had the chance at the Accra Sports Stadium in the national capital.
After a goalless first half which saw Kotoko miss some chances, the Porcupines took the lead in the 70th minute courtesy a Kwame Poku effort but that was the beginning of their misery rather than a booster as ES Sétif responded in under 5 minutes through Amoura Mohammed’s 74th minute header. The visitors then took the lead in the 81st minute through an Ahmed Kendouci’s close-range shot which they held on to close the match out 1-2 leaving the Ghanaian giants ruing their missed chances.
With the win and 2 away goals advantage to them, it will be a tough task for Asante Kotoko to beat their Algerian counterparts to advance to the next round. It is however something Kotoko can do if they can power their top guns to fire from all angles when they visit Algeria in a week time for the return leg. Till then, it is ES Sétif with one leg in the next round and Kotoko one leg out.
By: Clifford Adumbire | myactiveonline.com
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