Kotoko Rout Zamalek 5-1

Exactly ten years ago, Premier Club, Accra Hearts of Oak gave Ghana the famous ?Miracle of El-Wak?. Yesterday, Champion Club, Fabulous Asante Kotoko offered the nation something even more dramatic and more spectacular. For want of a better description, you might call it the ?Super Miracle of Kumasi?. It was just incredible.

For the thousands of soccer fans who filed the every available space at the Kumasi Stadium to watch Kotoko outclass and outscore Zamalek of Egypt 5-1 in their African Cup of Champion Clubs quarterfinal second leg, what happened was simply beyond their wildest dreams and expectations.

Kotoko had lost the first leg in Cairo 0-2 to the defending champions and needed to score at least three times without reply to qualify for the semifinals. Then like the stunning experience of Ebo Danquah in his Junior WBC Light Flyweight title fight with Filipino Little Baguio, Kotoko conceded the first goal after five minutes.

This, no doubt, worsened matters for Kotoko as they now needed to score not three but four. If there was ever a daunting task, this was it. But like Ebo Danquah, who lifted himself off the canvas three times in the first round to win against Banguio, the Porcupine Warriors displayed a great heart for the battle and left no doubt about their own greatness as they scored thrice in the first half and set the tone for one of the greatest victories in Ghana?s soccer history.

In such situations, it is difficult to pick one?s heroes. But even then a player kike Kofi Abbrey who was not only the brain behind most of Kotoko?s attacking forays but also executed all the three corner kicks that resulted in the first three goals scored by Kotoko, was my man of the match.

Then was young Prince Opoku who celebrated his major international appearance with two of the five goals. He was a thorn in the flesh of the Zamalek defence and didn?t show any signs of nervousness.

Thomas Hammond, in the middle of the Kotoko defence was a tower of strength. Both in the air and on the ground, he was superb and almost always unbeatable. But a thought must also be spared for another bright gem in the person of left full back Kwaku Okyere who clipped the wings of the fearful Zamalek winger, Mohammed Ahmed. Skipper Abdul Razak brought his rich experience and dexterity into the midfield from where he pushed his mates forward as they went on the rampage yesterday.

But first the shock. The game was barely five minutes old when Zamalek earned a free-kick well outside the Kotoko ?18?. It appeared quite harmless and the Kotoko defence looked on while inside left Yhounis hit a low grounder beyond the reach of goalkeeper Odoom.

A goal had been scored! But except for the excited scorer who started jubilating while his teammates jumped about, nobody could have realised that this was the case. The whole stadium filled by one of the biggest crowd to watch a soccer match in Kumasi, was as quiet as a deserted cemetery. It was most shocking and lesser teams would have crumbled immediately. But not Kotoko! They struck back almost immediately. Indeed, two minutes later, they were on level terms.

Kotoko earned a corner kick, Abbrey elected himself to take it, as he did on subsequent occasions. He sent a lovely ball into the Zamalek ?18? and Sarfo Gyamfi soared above everybody to head it powerfully into the left hand corner of the net. Goalkeeper el Mamour had no answer to this spectacular header. The battle had begun. Kotoko poured the heat on their opponents and earned another corner kick in the 9th minute. Abbrey again took it; Sarfo Gyamfi attempted another header and missed. But right behind him was Nana Eshun who hit the ball hard into the crowded goalmouth and Prince Opoku was on hand to slam home the rebound first time to put Kotoko 2-1 up.

Kotoko were clearly on top after this and it appeared Zamalek were completely overwhelmed by the transformation, which had taken place in the side they had dominated two weeks earlier.

Almost half time, goalkeeper, El Mamour, who unlike his opposite number was kept very busy, had great difficulty pushing a Sarfo Gyamfi lob to corner. Abbrey was on hand to take it once again, and in the ensuing melee, Sarfo Gyamfi headed the ball down for Prince Opoku to connect home Kotoko?s third goal. With the score at 3-1, Kotoko needed only one more goal to achieve what initially looked like a ?mission impossible?.

But they were not to have things easy on resumption as Zamalek who had changed their goalkeeper came out attacking and put Kotoko under pressure. They had a series of corner kicks but just as they were getting on top, Sarfo Gyamfi took the steam out of them with a classic goal as his long range shot beat substitute goalkeeper Taher Ayman. This was in the 77th minute and it completely broke Zamalek, and it was not surprising when four minutes later, substitute Saarah Mensah made it 5-1, beating Taher from close range. The goal was almost irrelevant except that it underscored Kotoko?s superiority in the match, which was efficiently handled by Malian referee Traore Iddrissa.

Kotoko: Mohammed Odoom, Nana Eshun, Kwaku Okyere, Thomas Hammond, Ahmed Rockson, Abdul Razak (Captain), Sam Ayipey, Sarfo Gyamfi, George Arthur, Prince Opoku/Saarah Mensah, Kofi Abbrey