Kwara United were dumped out of the CAF Confederation Cup after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Ghana’s Asante Kotoko at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, sealing a 5-3 aggregate exit in the preliminary round.
The Harmony Boys had given themselves hope with a spirited 4-3 loss away in Ghana last week, knowing that only a win at home would be enough to see them progress.
But despite creating several chances across both halves, Kwara United lacked composure in front of goal and were punished in the 54th minute. Midfielder Hubert Ayau capitalized on a loose ball inside the box, smashing it into the back of the net to score what proved to be the winner.
The hosts pushed for an equalizer but were sluggish in transition and wasteful when opportunities came, failing to find the cutting edge needed to stay alive in the competition.
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Head coach Tunde Sanni could not hide his disappointment after the game, criticizing his players for their complacency.
“Honestly, I am very disappointed in my players. They played like they had nothing to lose and this is very painful. I feel they were overconfident because of the performance they had last week away from home.”
On the other hand, Asante Kotoko boss Karim Zito revealed that his side came into the match confident after correcting their mistakes from the first leg.
“I was very confident we were going to win the game because after watching the tapes of the first leg, we saw our mistakes and worked on them. We allowed them the ball, defended well, and in the second half we decided to sting them and then return to our tactics.”
With the result, Asante Kotoko advance to the second round, while Kwara United’s continental journey ends prematurely.
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