Kwara United Fall to Asante Kotoko in Seven-Goal Thriller

Kwara United's CAF Confederation Cup campaign began with a narrow 4-3 defeat to Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko in the first leg of their preliminary round tie at the Accra Sports Stadium. In a pulsating encounter, both teams showcased a high-intensity attacking style from the opening whistle.

Asante Kotoko took the lead in the 18th minute through Emmanuel Antwi. However, Kwara United responded just six minutes later, as Johnmark Aule finished off a cross from Kabiru Muhammed to make it 1-1. Following a defensive error, Kotoko regained the lead just before halftime through Hubert Gyalu, but Kwara's Aule scored his second goal of the match in stoppage time to level the score at 2-2 going into the break.

The second half began with Kotoko once again taking the lead with a header from Joseph Ablorh in the 47th minute. Gyalu converted a penalty in the 69th minute to give the hosts a 4-2 advantage. Kwara United showed great resilience, with substitute Shola Abdulraheem reducing the deficit to 4-3 in the 87th minute after an impressive run and assist from Junior Aimufua.

Despite the loss, Kwara United's technical crew expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance. Coach Tunde Sanni, speaking on behalf of head coach Godwin Onyewuchi Nonsike, commended the team’s tactical discipline and voiced confidence in overturning the result in the second leg. Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq also visited the team to commend their spirit and encourage them to secure the win in the return fixture.

The decisive second leg is scheduled for this Sunday at the MKO Abiola International Stadium in Abeokuta.