Asante Kotoko relentlessly fought hard to grab a 2-3 away victory in the final playoff round first leg tie in the CAF Confederation Cup in Cameroon on Sunday.
Goals from Emmanuel Gyamfi, Maxwell Baakoh, and Abdul Fatawu Safiu ensured Asante Kotoko earn a vital away win over hosts, Coton Sports at the Stade Millitaire.
In what had been a close game that saw Daouda Kamilou miss several opportunities for the hosts, Emmanuel Gyamfi poked Kotoko into the lead in the 10th minute as Coton Sport goalkeeper Sabiou Bassa-Djeri couldn't hold it.
Maxwell Baakoh stretched the visitors lead in the 30th minute with a beautiful shot into the bottom right corner outside the box.
Coton Sport's captain Daouda Kamilou reduced the deficit in the 39th minute after Maxwell Baakoh fouled his marker in the penalty box.
Abdul Fatawu killed the game off 5 minutes after the recess, finishing one-on-one with the keeper benefiting from a weak back pass from a defender, Thomas Bawak Etta.
Guema Araina capitalizes on a defensive hauler and hit into the net with a half volley beating goalkeeper Felix Annan.
PrimeNewsGhana takes a look at the performance of the players of Asante Kotoko and how they fared in Cameroon against Coton Sport on Sunday, January 13.
Here are how Asante Kotoko players fared:
Felix Annan 7- Not forced into anything of great difficulty and dealt with what was thrown at him. He made some excellent saves to deny the Coottoners from troubling the Reds.
Augustine Sefah 8– Saw a lot of the ball bombing forward from right-back once again but didn’t put any crosses into the box nor create any chances. Fairly comfortable game defensively. His diminutive stature was a disadvantage but the right back never showed signs of given up. He was a spartan on the day.
Amos Frimpong 7 – The skipper played like a leader is supposed to. He fought, tackled and tirelessly defended like a wounded lion. His core duty was excellently executed. For a player who played in a position he is not comfortable with no show such an amazing work rate down the left side of the defense.
Emmanuel Agyemang Badu 9 – A rock at the back today that included a last-ditch challenge to deny Gerard Atangana a one-on-one opportunity in the first half. He was great with a lot of aggression. His aggression and determination forced Kamilou to be dropping deep for the ball.
Abdul Ganiu Ismail 9 – As cool as always, read the game excellently and made some important blocks and interceptions. He was great in his aerial tussles and his ball distribution was on point. His organization bat the back was very well and taped Daouda Kamilou.
Kwame (Conte) Bonsu 7– Played an important role in Kotoko dominating possession before the Porcupines took their foot off the accelerator after taking the lead. The former Gefle IF star proved his mettle in the Kotoko shirt. Bonsu won numerous aerial battles and tackles to win the ball back for the team too.
Richard Senanu 8– Tidy game in midfield without being spectacular. Got stuck in when Coton Sport had the ball in the middle of the park. He showed signs of promises from the start but quickly defaced in the game but his marking and passes were sexy and accurate.
Abdul Fatawu 7- Another impressive display from the ex-Inter Allies forward. Shafiwu displayed a hard work rate. He moved with the ball and was always dangerous with the ball. He capped his stellar display with the third goal for Kotoko before leaving the pitch at the dying embers of the game.
Emmanuel Gyamfi 8- He was one of the best players in the Kotoko setup.
He did not only score but always played very well. Threw in a lot of crosses and was a thorn in the flesh of the cottoners defense.
Maxwell Baakoh 10– A cracking shot in the first by Baakoh gave Kotoko two goals lead. He worked hard running the lines and got his just reward on the 30th minute finishing fine one-on-one after an excellent exchange of passes with Sogne Yacouba. He was a thorn in the flesh of the Coton Sport defenders. His composure in the game was calm but impregnated with huge intelligence. he was PrimeNewsGhana's man of the match.
Sogne Yacouba 6– On the fringes of the game upfront and ultimately substituted for the final half hour. Yacouba had quite a good game but his temperament. His work rate was good but his finishing was very poor.
Read also: CAF CC: Asante Kotoko beat Coton Sport 3-2 at the Stade Militaire(VIDEO)
Substitutes
Obed Owusu N/A –He was introduced into the game with some few minutes to end proceedings. He brought on renewed energy to strengthened the Kotoko attack.
Prince Acquah N/A – Prince came into the game to replace Kwame Bonsu late in the game and had little to do.
Umar Bashiru N/A – A late introduction to give the limping Yacouba a rest.
The return leg will be played on Sunday (January 20) at the Bara Yara Stadium.
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