Kumasi Asante Kotoko have been eliminated from the 2025/26 CAF Confederation Cup after suffering a humiliating 5-1 defeat to Wydad Athletic Club at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca on Friday night.
Having lost 1-0 at home in the first leg, the Porcupine Warriors endured a disappointing 6-1 aggregate defeat to the Moroccans giants as their journey in the competition comes to an abysmal conclusion.
The Ghanaian side were under siege from start to finish — they were passengers all over the place, with a disjointed team failing to put the jigsaw pieces all together. The Moroccans drew first blood in the opening minutes before Kotoko briefly offered hope when captain Samba O’Neil rose highest and brilliantly headed home in the 19th minute to draw level.
Nevertheless, Wydad quickly went berserk after the visitors equalized and scored four more goals to put the game beyond Asante Kotoko. Hamza Hannouri, Stephane Aziz Ki, Thembinkosi Lorch, Oussama Zemraoui, and Mohammed Bouchouari put their names on the scoresheet as the Moroccans progressed comfortably into the group stages of the competition.
Despite flashes of promise in the opening exchanges, Kotoko crumbled the moment Wydad held the game by the scruff of the neck. The results reflects a stark contrast between the Ghana premiership side and their Moroccan counterparts. It is a reminder of how low standards have fallen in recent years for Ghana football clubs.
While the elimination from the competition marks a major setback for Kotoko, it also serves as a valuable learning experience for coach Karim Zito and his side. It should encourage the club and its handlers to take full responsibility of the mauling and go back to the drawing board and do what is required to compete in the upper echelons of African football.
