Samuel Ofori leads FC Ravshan Kulob to victory in Tajikistan Super Cup, named best foreign player

Samuel Ofori, an Asia-based center-back is celebrating his first career trophy after helping his team FC Ravshan Kulob defeat double champions FC Istiklol Dushanbe 1-0 in the Tajikistan Super Cup on Saturday.

Ofori, who won the best foreign player award in Tajikistan at the end of last season, played a pivotal role in Kulob's victory, marshalling the defense to clinch the first title for the club he joined just a year ago.

Speaking to Sportsinghana.com and monitored by ModernGhana News, the 24-year-old expressed his excitement and fulfilment about winning his first major international trophy as a professional footballer. He sees this victory as a stepping stone to achieving more in his career.

“I feel so excited and fulfilled. It is very special for me because this is my first major international trophy as a professional footballer and I believe it is the stepping stone to more.”

Kulob finished runners-up to Istiklol last season, earning a spot against the double winners in the Super Cup.

They have already defeated the top team in this year's league campaign, a 1-0 success on match day 6 just last Sunday, pushing them into 5th place on 9 points, 4 behind the leaders FK Eskhata with a game in hand.

Despite their position on the table, Ofori is confident that his team can go all the way to becoming champions this season.

He mentioned that they have already beaten Istiklol twice this season and are ready to fight with everything they have.

Samuel Ofori said, “Yes Istiklol are the top side but we have beaten them in two games already this season so we are very confident of going all the way. We definitely want to be champions and we will fight with everything we have.”

However, he also expressed concern about the poor performance of referees this season, stating that they haven't been good to Kulob.

Despite this, he is hopeful that his team can overcome the challenges and emerge as champions at the end of the season.

“We will try but this season the referees haven’t been good to us. If not we will already be on top of the table but there are still a lot of games left and I’m hoping we can do it.”