CAFCC: Lacklustre Kotoko put quarter-final qualification in doubt as they draw Al Hilal

The Porcupines hopes of playing in the last eight suffered a setback on Sunday following a 1-1 home draw with Al Hilal Omdurman on the penultimate matchday of the group stage.

 

Al Hilal got off to a start Akonnor could have only dreamed of as Waleed Bakhet Hamid headed home from a cross from the right-hand side of Kotoko's defense to put the visitors ahead inside the 33rd minute.

 

In the 37th minutes, Kotoko almost drew level when Songne Yacouba lifted a ball just over the bar following a miscommunication between goalkeeper Jamal Salim and defender Omer Hassan.

That kicked Asante Kotoko into life and they nearly found an instant response, Martin Antwi flashing a low ball into the area which narrowly missed by Emmanuel Gyamfi.

It was a disappointing result for the Porcupine Warriors who were looking forward to a win to seal a quarter-final qualification after Nkana FC had defeated Zesco United earlier today in Kitwe. 

It was a poor showing by the C.K Akonnor side as they failed to break down the Hilal defense and enjoying lots of possession. 

 

The home side dominated play from the start and were making inroads into the opposition half but rarely troubling the opposition goalkeeper.

 

Kotoko looked like they would have it easy in the second half but the lackluster approach continued after the restart.

C.K Akonnor threw all his arsenals in the second department of the game but struggled to unlock the visitor's defense. 

Four minutes to full-time, Kotoko finally found a way past Salim as Yacouba's header beat the goalkeeper to make it 1-1 after Gyamfi delivered a cross into the box. 

The Ghanaian giants looked the more likely to score the winner as the Sudanese side sat back but they did enough to see off the game and earn a vital away point.

The results of the day see Nkana on top of Group C with 9 points, Al Hilal second with 8 points with Asante Kotoko moved to third with 7 points and Zesco United bottom of the log on 4 points.

Now, the Porcupine Warriors must beat Zesco on the final matchday to pick one of two qualification tickets to the next round.