It is no longer news that Kwara United have been knocked out of the CAF Confederation Cup by Asante Kotoko following a 1-0 defeat in the second leg at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta on Sunday.
With all of that gone now, this piece is to carefully look at how the Harmony Boys fluffed a good chance to reach the second preliminary round after a 4-3 loss in the first leg. It ended in a 5-3 aggregate win for the Ghanaian side.
Alongside Abia Warriors’ ousting, Nigeria will have no representative in the second tier of African continental competition.
Samuel Areo, who was in Abeokuta for the second leg, writes on the factors that led to the defeat.
“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success” — Alexander Graham Bell
Kwara United’s preparation for the second leg of this tie were highly questionable. It has happened time and time again that the best way to excel in any form of continental assignment is to prepare well for it. On Kwara United’s part, they were sloppy and handled things with levity because of the favourable result in Ghana. They did not learn from Enyimba’s experience of 2023.
In addition, the team – at least the club officials – knew that the return leg would not be played in Ilorin despite their last-minute efforts. However, they went to sleep, relying on Remo Stars, who were playing both legs of their CAF Champions League tie against US Zilimadjou at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena, for almost everything.
On the continent of Africa, you cannot leave everything to a third party even if you are playing away from home without being at the forefront of it, doing the necessary homework. The travel plans, logistics, the communication, and managerial decisions could have been better because everything counts at this level.
Tactical Shortcomings
Another decisive factor was the tactical approach. Kwara United lacked a clear game plan, frequently looking disorganized both in attack and defense.
Kwara United head coach, Tunde Sanni, spoke so much about how lucky the Ghanaians were after the first leg, but failed to prepare just enough for the home fixture.
The midfield selection had a bit of a question mark, while their transitions were slow and predictable. Kotoko capitalized on this tactical naivety, controlling the tempo and exploiting spaces that Kwara left behind.
It was surprising to find Shola Abdulraheem on the bench that long. The former Niger Tornadoes man scored in Accra, and his set-piece deliveries would have come in handy in this home leg.
In addition, Kwara United were busy sending crosses into the box for the Kotoko goalkeeper, who was the tallest man on the pitch, to make easy catches and take pressure off his defence.
Missed Chances
Apart from their poor preparation and tactical shortcomings, they had some chances to have taken the lead or get back in the game on Sunday.
Asante Kotoko goalkeeper Mohammed Camara was barely tested, and it was down to the Harmony Boys’ decision making in the final third.
Against a disciplined side like Kotoko, those missed chances were punished. Football at continental level often comes down to fine margins, and Kwara United simply failed to take theirs.
