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Africa ambition is on course – Coach Bash
By: Jerome Otchere
Posted: 9th April 2008
It was not a vintage performance from Kotoko. But with a 4-1 victory and qualification to the next round, Coach Bashir Hayford believes that Kotoko’s ambition to excel in Africa is on course.
He told this paper in a post match interview that he was happy with the victory. “We converted our chances. In Nigeria, the weather, the pitch and the referee were against us. Here, we proved a good point. Our aim is to win the league and this competition. For now I think we are on course” he said.
The first leg had ended 2-2 in Bauchi, Nigeria two weeks ago. Kotoko fans therefore expected a sweet win at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium. The win came all right but its sweetness was overshadowed by the obvious midfield and defensive flaws.
Skipper Emmanuel Osei Kuffour shot Kotoko ahead in the 19th minute with a perfect salvo which took goalie Raymond Godwin by surprise. The goalie had denied Kotoko several scoring attempts in the early minutes but he failed to stop Kuffour’s swift twenty-metre drive.
Wikki were not purposeful upfront but their general organisation was admirable. They often caught the Kotoko defence off-guard. Diminutive attacker Philip Auta and Abubakar Ibrahim often exposed Daniel Acquah and Prince Anokye.
On the whole, they laid bare the fact that Kotoko’s technical bench still has some work to do in central defence.
Except for the first five minutes of the game, Kotoko was vulnerable both in defence and midfield. In the 27th minute, unmarked Philip Auta could have equalised with a header but Soulama Abdoulaye was quick to intervene.
The Burkina be goalie was furious as he charged on his defenders after saving the situation. Wikki Tourists’ dominance was strong in the last fifteen minutes of the first half.
They pinned Kotoko to the back. Their build-up was quick. They constantly floated the ball into Kotoko’s territory but their attack let them down.
In the second half, the lapses in Kotoko’s central defence continued. This gave the Nigerians good opportunities though they failed to utilize them.
Prince Anokye gifted Abubakar Ibrahim with a terrible clearance in the 47th minute but the attacker’s final delivery was feeble.
Moments after, Daniel Acquah shockingly committed the same blunder allowing Philip Auta to win possession. Auta was in a good position to score but Ethiopian Referee Yednekachew Zewge’s timely whistle distracted him.
It was difficult to determine what the referee had whistled for but the truth remained that Kotoko’s rear guard was deficient.
In the 53rd minute, Prince Anokye was beaten by Philip Auta in one-on-one situation. The Nigerian beautifully connected Abubakar Ibrahim who eventually wasted that chance.
Kotoko’s response was quick and effective too as Francis Coffie with great pace on left, ghosted past an opponent and cut deep into Wikki’s goal area. He found Emmanuel Osei Kuffour who sent a direct shot which was blocked. Hit man Eric Bekoe was just there.
He pounced on the rebound and fired a stunning salvo which hit the upright before crossing the line for Kotoko’s second goal.
It is fair to give Francis Coffie immense credit for his crosses and in fact the goal he scored. But then, Kotoko’s game on the flanks was not impressive. After his name sake Francis Akwaffo had been replaced by George Asare in the 58th minute, Francis Coffie combined efficiently with Emmanuel Osei Kuffour in the 63rd minute to find Eric Bekoe who capitalised on a gaping hole in Wikki’s defensive set-up to make it 3-0.
The Nigerians were down but Kotoko was not done with the damage. Francis Coffie carried out another plot to nail the Nigerians well into the coffin in the 68th minute. With his pace, he cut into Wikki’s goal area and fired well into the right corner of the net to make it 4-0. Nana Arhin-Duah and Stephen Oduro replaced Eric Bekoe and Francis Coffie. For Wikki, Emmanuel Sunday and Sunday Gabriel also replaced Abdul Abdullahi and Nuru Nakargo respectively. .
Nana Arhin-Duah and Stephen Oduro brought their experience to bear. Stephen Oduro’s deft touches for example won him great applause from the spectators. Oduro’s fluid skills lifted the excitement in the match as he orchestrated extraordinary chances for Nana Arhin-Duah, Daniel Nii Adjei and Emmanuel Osei Kuffour to come close to scoring.
Kuffour could have score Kotoko’s fifth goal with his brilliant shot which missed the post by inches in the 80th minute.
As Kotoko dominated play in the closing stages of the game, it was clear that a goal was imminent. Interestingly however, it was the Nigerians who scored a consolation goal through hard working Philip Auta who beat Soulama Abdoulaye with a grounder in the 82nd minute.
Kotoko line-up: Soulama Abdoulaye, Samuel Inkoom, Osei Kwame Junior, Daniel Acquah, Prince Anokye, Jordan Opoku, Francis Akwaffo/George Asare, Daniel Nii Adjei, Eric Bekoe/Nana Arhin-Duah, Emmanuel Osei Kufour, Francis Coffie/Stephen Oduro.
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