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Soccer News of Sunday, 17 September 2006

Source: BBC/GHP/-

Kotoko & Hearts Fail To Advance....

... JoeTex Sinks Kotoko
Tunisia's CS Sfaxien beat Asante Kotoko of Ghana 2-1 on Sunday to top their group and set up a Champions League semi-final against South Africa's Orlando Pirates.

And Al Ahly Cairo will face Ivory Coast champions Asec Mimosas in the other semi-final after a 2-2 draw at Algeria's JS Kabylie secured the Egyptian side second place behind Sfaxien in Group A.

Kotoko had gifted Sfaxen the lead after seven minutes in the Mediterranean town of Sfax when goalkeeper Eric Nii Bah spilled a timid half volley from striker Joetex Frimpong and the ball trickled into the net.

Under pressure for most of the opening half, Kotoko levelled in first-half stoppage time when Murtala Mohamed climbed unchallenged to head wide of the stationary Tunisian goalkeeper into the net.

Needing maximum points to squeeze into the semi-finals, Kotoko suffered a crippling blow 20 minutes into the second half when a second booking led to Michael Appiah being sent off.

Villain Bah turned hero with a series of acrobatic saves, notably a finger tip effort to deprive substitute Blaise Kouassi of a goal with his first touch of the ball.

But persistent Sfaxien pressure eventually told and they will be favoured to elimiante Pirates and move closer to emulating compatriots Club Africain and Esperance, winners of the Champions League in the 1990s.

On Saturday, Onyekachi Okonkwo had steered the Pirates into the last four at the expense of his former team, Enyimba of Nigeria.
A curling shot from the midfielder in the 30th minute gave Pirates a 1-0 win in the last of the Group B matches.
Pirates finished second in the group behind Asec, who drew 0-0 with Ghana's Hearts of Oak in Obuasi.
Enyimba had just needed a draw in the match in Johannesburg to progress to the semi-finals and had several chances in the game to score but were let down by poor finishing.