Losing to Heart of Lions a missed opportunity to close the gap of Medeama - Kotoko coach Karim Zito

Asante Kotoko head coach Karim Zito has conceded that his side squandered a golden chance to narrow the gap on league leaders Medeama SC following their defeat to Heart of Lions.

The Porcupine Warriors were beaten 3-1 by Lions at the Kpando Sports Stadium on Saturday in Matchday 21 of the Ghana Premier League.

The loss came on the back of Medeama’s 2-1 defeat to Nations FC at the Dr Kwame Kyei Sports Complex, a result that had opened the door for Kotoko to make up ground in the title race.

Zito admitted after the match that the missed opportunity was particularly painful, given the circumstances.

“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 highlighted the difficulty of playing in Kpando, a venue he described as historically challenging for his team, but insisted that was no excuse.

“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.”

Kotoko are now fifth on the league table with 35 points and will turn their attention to a high-stakes clash against arch-rivals Hearts of Oak in Matchday 22 at the Baba Yara Stadium this weekend.