Naby Keita’s late penalty gave Asante Kotoko a 1-0 win over hard fighting FC San Pedro in a thrilling CAF Confederation Cup playoff in Kumasi.
The match originally took place on Sunday but was abandoned after a goalless first half due to heavy rains that rendered Baba Yara Sports Stadium pitch unusable.
The match was replayed from the 46th minute at the same venue but it was headed for a goalless draw until 90th minute when Burkina Faso attacker Songne Yacouba was brought down inside the box.
Guinean striker Keita stepped up to place the ball past San Pedro custodian Tra Tape to give his side a win.
In the first quarter after the resumption of the game, Richard Arthur squandered the best chance of the match when, on a one on one situation with the Tape, he fell down and the ball was cleared before he could shoot.
In the 65th minute, Jordan Opoku came close but his effort was parried away by the San Pero custodian.
Five minutes later, Tape prevented another shot from going into his net, this time after Augustine Okrah delivered a shot.
In the 75th minute, Sherif Olatunde shot wide over the bar, much to the relief of Porcupine Warriors custodian Felix Annan who had misjudged the ball.
San Pedro looked to have opened the scoring two minutes later after Sherif turned past his marker to find the bottom corner, but the effort was offside as frustration began to grow for the visitors.
In the 84th minute, they got a clear chance but a mix up in the opponent’s box made it difficult for Yacouba to take a shot towards goal
Kotoko struggled to string passes together in the dying minutes, whilst the visitors maintained their attack.
The Porcupine Warriors earned a penalty at stoppage time with Keita stepping up to score calmly as Kotoko secured victory ahead of the return leg in Abidjan on Sunday, November 3.
Results for other matches played on Sunday;
Horoya (Guinea) 4-2 Bandari (Kenya)
Young Africans (Tanzania) 1-2 Pyramids (Egypt)
Enyimba (Nigeria) 2-0 TS Galaxy (South Africa)
KCCA (Uganda) 0-0 Paradou (Algeria)
Gor Mahia (Kenya) 1-1 DC Motema Pembe
UD Songo (Mozambique) 1-2 Bidvest Wits (South Africa)
Elect-Sport (Chad) 0-1 Djoliba (Mali)
Green Eagles (Zambia) 1-1 Hassania Agadir (Morocco)
Cano Sport Academy (Equatorial Guinea) 1-3 Zanaco (Zambia)
Fosa Juniors (Madagascar) 2-0 Renaissance Berkane (Morocco)
Cote d’Or (Seychelles) 0-4 Al Masry (Egypt)
ASC Kara (Togo) 2-1 Enugu Rangers (Nigeria)
Nouadhibou (Mauritania) 2-0 Triangle Utd (Zimbabwe)
Al Nasr (Libya) 2-2 Proline (Uganda)
