Even though they beat AS Real Bamako by a score of 1-0, Accra Hearts of Oak were eliminated from the CAF Confederation Cup qualifiers.
The Phobians needed to make up a 3-0 deficit from the first leg, but they didn’t score their first goal until the 89th minute. Caleb Amankwah scored an acrobatic goal at the far post.
But it was too little, too late, and the Ghana FA Cup winners leave the competition at the same point they did last year.
The big loss a week ago made it hard for David Ocloo’s team to turn things around, and the first half showed that.
The Phobians had a hard time getting through the AS Bamako defense, and it took them until the 45th minute to get their first shot on goal, which was a weak header from center-back Konadu Yiadom that the Bamako keeper caught with ease.
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At the start of the second half, Ocloo changed both its players and its strategy. Obeng Junior, Seidu Salifu, and Mohamed Alhassan came on, and the team switched to a back three and sent more players forward.
But Bamako stayed strong at the back for most of the second half, with help from their goalkeeper, who made a great save on Junior before center-back Camara did acrobatics to clear the ball off the goal line to keep the score even.
But Hearts finally broke through when Amankwah scored on a volley after a corner kick to give Hearts the lead they deserved.
Hearts of Oak had five minutes of extra time to score two goals and force a penalty shootout, but they needed a miracle, which didn’t happen. They lost in front of their own fans.