Coach Sanni berates players as Kwara United crash out of CAF Confederation cup
Head Coach of Kwara United Football Club, Tunde Sanni, has slammed his players following their elimination from the CAF Confederation Cup.
The Harmony Boys fell 1-0 to Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko in the second leg of the preliminary round at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta, bowing out 5-3 on aggregate.
Speaking during his post-match press conference, Coach Sani did not hold back, questioning the commitment and character of his players.
He said “I’m extremely disappointed in my players,” the coach said. “They had numerous scoring opportunities, but unfortunately, they wasted them. I don’t know if they were carried away, wanting to score at all cost while chasing the first goal, but the manner of the goal we conceded was so painful.”
Kwara United, who had hoped to overturn the deficit from the first leg in Accra, failed to capitalize on home advantage as wasteful finishing and lapses at the back proved costly.
The defeat ended the Ilorin-based club’s continental campaign earlier than expected, leaving the team to now shift focus to the upcoming Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.
How the match unfolded ?
Kwara United came in to the game with a blistering form off their narrow 4-3 loss in the first leg of the game. Scoring three goals away from home had given hope to the Harmony Boys, with many of the fans who mostly travelled some 253km from Ilorin to witness the encounter at their adopted MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta expecting a positive outcome.
However, the hosts dominated the proceedings in the first half but failed to convert their goal opportunities.
Th hosts were presented goal chances through Captain Afeez Musa and Issa Gata in the earlier moments of the match but failed to hit the right targets.
The visitors’ major onslaught in the first half came off the leg of Amoah Albert in the 21st minute who flashed in a shot that went a bit over the cross bar.
The trio of Aliu Salaudeen, Alao Muhammed and Musa Abdulafeez were further set up for great chances in the interval but still failed to turn them in.
The second half began on a slow place but it was the visitors who eventually made the ultimate difference when Hubert Gyau sent a chill down the spine of the home fans as he pounced on a loose ball and shot powerfully into the bottom left corner to give the hosts the lead in the 54th minutes.
It was a decisive goal that ultimately define the game that was mostly played by the hosts, but had the visitors pocket the show.
The visitors also came close doubling their advantage in the 61st minute, but the effort went some inches wide.
Before then, Issa Gata was proving too much to handle for the Kotoko’s defence, only for his final touches to be lacking.
It was Babatunde Bright who had yet another great chance in the 68th minutes after a fantastic build-up play from Kwara United players, his poor decision saw his effort frittled away, compounding the woes for his side.
The hosts continued their search for a breakthrough with the introduction of new legs, but it appeared the visitors had the script working-holding their ground on the back side and repelling the attacks from the Coach Tunde Sanni-led boys.
What next?
Kwara United,16th on the log with 5 points will now shift attention to the domestic league where they are expected to face Plateau United this Thursday in their rescheduled NPFL matchday 5 action before another home clash against fellow CAF Confederation Cup campaigner Abia Warriors on Sunday who also failed to get past the first round. Meanwhile, Asante Kotoko will mow face Morroco giants Wydad Athletic Club in the second round of the CAF Confederation Cup.
