I never expected a defeat against Wydad Casablanca – Asante Kotoko coach Karim Zito

Asante Kotoko coach Abdul Karim Zito is surprised by his outfit defeat against Wydad Casablanca in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup.

The Porcupine Warriors faces a daunting task in the playoff after succumbing to a narrow home team defeat to the Moroccan giants on Sunday.

Striker Joseph Bakasu scored the only goal of the match, ensuring his outfit return to the North African country with the advantage. A corner kick in the 47th minute wasn’t properly dealt with by Kotoko’s defence, with Bakasu capitalizing on it to fire home from close range for the match-winner.

Despite being a man down, Kotoko showed resilience and managed to avoid further damage, though they struggled to create meaningful chances going forward.

According to Zito, the defeat against Wydad Casablanca was far from what he expected considering their preparation for the crucial match.

“Per our preparation, I never expected a defeat against Wydad Casablanca. In football, certain things happen beyond your control. We committed some mistakes along the line which affected us”

Despite the defeat, the experienced Ghanaian trainer has refused to give up on qualification, assuring a much improved performance in the return leg this weekend.

“It’s not over for us. Anything can happen in the return leg. We are not going there as losers, we are going to stamp our feet and play better than what we did here” he added.