A tactically disciplined Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco, with a numerical advantage, beat Kumasi Asante Kotoko by a lone goal in Accra today in the first leg of the final stage of the CAF Confederation Cup preliminaries.

The visitors stunned Kotoko in the 46th minute, but despite being awarded three consecutive corner kicks and a couple of free kicks in advantageous positions in the dying minutes of the match, the home team was unable to equalize.

Kotoko’s goalkeeper, Mohammed Camara, was sent off the pitch after picking up a second yellow card for deliberately handling the ball outside the 18-yard box to deny the Moroccan giants an obvious goal-scoring opportunity in the 48th minute.

Though Camara’s unfortunate exit changed the tactical disposition of the Porcupines, he had aptly justified his selection by making crucial saves in the 33rd, 38th, and 40th minutes, thereby denying WAC’s attack from scoring.

Kotoko’s head coach Abdul Karim Zito Kabutey was forced to brought in substitute goalkeeper Aziz Dari for a winger Inusah Fuseini.

Kotoko substituted Walid Fuseini, Lord Hilary Adabo, and Peter Amidu Acquah for Emmanuel Antwi, Morifing Donzo, and Seth Kwadwo to mount pressure on WAC, but to no avail.

The North African club relied on their sublime long passes and in-swinging deliveries with minimal midfield possession to outsmart Kotoko, who preferred to maintain possession from their defense line.

Despite being numerically disadvantaged, the Porcupine Warriors played with great heart, but their opponents proved to be tough customers, weathering all storms and resorting to delays and going down easily in tackles.

The Moroccan giants, leaving Accra today with a narrow lead, will host Kotoko on Friday in Casablanca in another crucial duel to decide who qualifies for the group stage of the competition.

BY Thomas Awuah Asem