Asante Kotoko head coach Karim Zito has admitted his side missed a golden opportunity to close the gap on Ghana Premier League leaders Medeama SC following their defeat to Heart of Lions.
The Porcupine Warriors were beaten 3-1 by Heart of Lions at the Kpando Sports Stadium on Saturday in their Matchday 21 encounter, a result that came after Medeama’s 2-1 loss to Nations FC at the Dr Kwame Kyei Sports Complex.
Kotoko went into the game hoping to capitalise on Medeama’s slip-up and strengthen their title push, but Zito conceded after the match that his team failed to seize the moment.
“Medeama lost yesterday, and today was our chance to close the gap. Honestly, I feel we missed that opportunity,” he said.
“That is why I was not expecting this result, because in terms of preparation, we worked very hard. We prepared extremely well,” Zito added.
The Kotoko boss also acknowledged the challenges of playing in Kpando, a venue he noted has never been easy for his side, but stressed that it was not an excuse for the defeat.
“Kpando is always a very difficult place for Kotoko to come and play. But putting that aside, I had a plan to at least win this game. Unfortunately, it didn’t go the way I wanted it to,” he stated.
The loss leaves Asante Kotoko fifth on the Ghana Premier League table with 35 points. They will now shift focus to a high-profile Matchday 22 clash against arch-rivals Hearts of Oak at the Baba Yara Stadium this weekend.
