Karim Zito, the head coach of Asante Kotoko, says he is happy with Kwame Opoku's performance for the Black Stars during their 2-1 Unity Cup loss to Nigeria.
After halftime, Brandon Thomas Asante, who scored Ghana's lone goal, replaced Opoku, who had started the game. Nigeria won thanks to a goal from Cyriel Dessers and an own goal by Razak Simpson.
Zito defended his player despite criticism of Opoku's performance, pointing out that the striker did not receive adequate service during the match.
Zito emphasized that Opoku's relentless pressing and movement reflect the demands of the contemporary game.
We must wonder how many passes they gave him because it is similar to going to the market to buy ingredients for making palmnut soup, which you then prepare and we consume. He did the pressuring and generated the pass after all of this, even though he did not score the pass.
However, he was running the entire time. Perhaps he did not play the way we know him, but if he had scored, we would have declared that he played well," Peace FM stated.
"I watched him running around, and the pressing alone can help because in late contemporary football, you can not play if you can not push." However, we thought Kwame Opoku would score. If you are a number nine and you do not score, they think you did not do well, but when you do, you have done well. I think it will benefit us if he brings that confidence to the league, so I am cool with him."
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Medeama and Dreams FC make the CAF Club Rankings, while Hearts of Oak and Kotoko do not.
The most recent CAF Club Rankings as of June 2025 only include Dreams FC and Medeama SC, two Ghanaian teams. With 12 points, Dreams is in 26th place, and Medeama is in 51st place with 4 points.
Their selection follows successful performances in recent CAF interclub tournaments. Notably, Dreams FC made a big impression on the continental scene in their first season by making it to the CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals.
Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak, two of Ghana's historic powerhouses, are noticeably absent from the top 57, though. Despite their legendary history, Kotoko has won the Champions League twice, and Hearts of Oak has won the Confederation Cup and the Champions League. However, neither team has advanced past the group stages of any CAF competition in the last five years, underscoring their dramatic drop in performance on the continent.
Al Ahly has 78 points, which puts them first in the CAF rankings. Mamelodi Sundowns is next with 62, and Esperance de Tunis is at 57. Confederation Cup winners RS Berkane are in fourth place, while Pyramids FC, who were named African champions for the first time this season, are in sixth place.
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