Asante Kotoko have it all to do in the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup clash with CARA Brazzaville after a slender win in the first leg at home.
In an incredible game played at the Baba Yara Stadium, Kotoko could only manage a 1-0 win despite being awarded four penalties. Yakubu Mohammed converted his spot-kick on additional time after Sadick Adams, Amos Frimpong and Baba Mahama had squandered theirs.
CARA, on the other hand, had the opportunity to grab an away goal but Kotoko goalie Felix Annan produced a quality save to deny the Congolese side from the spot.
Referee Issa Sy from Senegal remains the star man for awarding five penalties in a match. His first call was in the sixth minute but striker Sadick Adams had his effort rolled off target.
Captain Amos Frimpong followed next with a miss after Kwame Boahene had been brought down before the hour mark.
After 70 minutes, the referee awarded another spot kick to Kotoko but Baba Mahama squandered it, much to the surprise of increasingly apoplectic home fans.
The referee next handed CARRA the chance to take the lead from the spot but goalkeeper Chansel Massa, who had previously saved two Kotoko penalties, also saw his effort from the spot saved by Felix Annan.
With the game edging very close to a barren draw, Issa Sy awarded a fifth and final spot-kick to Kotoko which was well taken by substitute Yakubu Mohammed.
The truly weird part of this game was that CARA did not protest any of the four penalties awarded Kotoko, something one rarely sees in football. Does this suggest all of them were legitimate calls from the ref?
After a promise of giving each player a 2-bedroom house if they win the CAF Confederation Cup, this is not the result Kotoko’s hierarchy would have expected. But the win should galvanize the Porcupine Warriors to do better in the away leg in Congo Brazzaville in two weeks.
