Medeama SC and Dreams FC of Ghana have both claimed victory over their opponents on Sunday, 27th August, 2023, in the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup respectively, to secure spots in the second rounds of the leagues.
Medeama Soccer Club faced off Nigerian based club Remo Stars FC in a thrilling encounter at exactly 3pm on Sunday at the Remo Stars Sports Stadium.
Medeama came into this game as favorites due to the one nil advantage they had at the cape coast sports stadium.
During the game, Remo stars found the net through an own goal by Medeama in the 73rd minutes which meant that the game would be concluded on penalties.
Medeama SC prevailed by a score of 3-2 in the penalty shootout following a 1-1 aggregate draw during regulation.
Medeama SC will play Guinean side, Horoya AC in the next stage of the CAF Champions League Preliminary stage.
On the other hand , Dreams FC hosted Milo Fc de Kankan of Guinea at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday in the CAF confederation cup qualifiers.
At the 13th minute, Seydouba Bangoura of Milo Fc registered the first goal of the game.
All hope seemed lost for the host club when the game entered the last minute but to the surprise of many , striker Boateng Agyenim converted from the penalty spot.
With about three minutes left for the game to end, Dreams Fc performed a magic by scoring the last goal through striker John Antwi pushing them into the next round of the competition.
At the Stade General Lansana Conte in Conakry last week, Dreams FC managed to secure a 1-1 draw in the first leg. They triumph with a final score of 3-2.
Dreams FC have been granted a walkover over Nigerien team AS Douanes because of the political upheaval in the nation, and will now face Sierra Leonean club FC Kallon in the last round of the qualifiers.
The Bigger Picture
The poor performance of Ghanaian football clubs in the most prestigious the continental football tournaments has seen us fall down the pecking order.
From two representatives each in the CAF champions league and CAF confederation cup to one each, with Ghanaian clubs consistently failing to show up due to diminishing quality and many other factors.
Performance of Country representatives at CAF competitions accrue points based on how far they advance, and good performance. may help in the bif for an additional slot in either competition.
Ghanaian football fans have high expectations, as no Ghanaian team has been able to reach the group stage of the CAF Champions League or Confederation Cup competitions since the 2016/17 season when Kotoko reached the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup under Coach Charles Akonnor.
If Medeama SC and Dreams FC perform better in these competitions, Ghana’s pursuit of an increase in the slots for Africa could look possible.
Medeama can build on previous Africa experience
Seven years ago, Medeama SC advanced to the group face of the Confederations Cup competition after beating Al Ittihad (Lybia), El Shendi (Sudan) and Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa.
Medeama’s will face Guinea’s Horoya FC who boast of a far bigger history and an even greater exposure to African tournaments. They have been very active for the past years in the competition. More to the point , the Guinean side had their best ever finish in 2018 where they reached the quarter final stage of the champions league.
Dreams FC can surprise a few
Debutants in the CAF Confederation Cup Dreams fc, and are now poised to face Kallon FC of Sierra Leone in the upcoming round. Experienced Coach Zito will. certainly need reinforcement to ensure his team meet the standards of Africa and can use a larger squad But to cope with the demand of playing in both the CAF confederation cup and the Betpawa Ghana Premier league.
Dreams FC have bolstered their squad with the signing of all time top scorer in the Egyptian league, John Antwi.
The former Al Ahly striker can be a massive boost for their African campaign.
Against Milo FC at the Accra Sports Stadium ,heroics of John Antwi helped Dreams grab a last minute goal, which saw the “still believe “ boys secure qualification to the second round. Dreams will pick a cue from this and ask for one or two more additions.
The possibility of reaching the money zone is within sights for Dreams fc and with one more hurdle to go, the ‘still believe’ club will have absolutely no excuse to bottle it.
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Story by : Asack Pius | univers.ug.edu.gh
