Chelsea Campaign In Trouble

Ghana’s representatives in this year’s Africa Champions League have an uphill task in their quest to make history by qualifying for the money zone in their very first campaign, after drawing goalless against an unyielding Cotton Sport Garoua of Cameroun in a well attended first leg final qualifier at the Berekum City Park.

It was a harrowing experiece for the Ghanaian champion club who had earlier conquered giants Raja Casablanca with an incredible 5-0 scoreline at the same venue and many had anticipated another massive win yesterday.

Coach Hans van der Pluym and his boys wore a forlorn countenance after the game, an indication of the trouble ahead in their quest to pull the chestnut from the blazing fire in the crucial second leg in the northern Camerounean city of Garoua.

The Camerouneans were finalists in the 2008 edition of the Africa Champions League and on the two occassions when they played Hearts of Oak in the Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup in 1999 and 2004 respectively they kept to their home invicibility.

Chelsea yesterday put their best fighters in the fray as Emmanuel Clottey led the assault for the much needed goal and drew into the battle his teammates such as Solomon Asante who was brilliant in the tie against Raja Casablanca, Jordan Opoku and Ibrahim Isaka, but the

Ghanaians were frustrated throught by the strong defensive play by Cotton Sport.