Hearts of Oak found the net and beat Real Bamako 1-0 at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday but it was not enough as the Phobians have been knocked out of the CAF Confederation Cup.
Caleb Amankwah scored for the hosts but the aggregate scoreline was 3-1 in favor of the Burkinabe side.
Here are five things we learned.
Hearts not ready for Africa
Before the game, former Hearts of Oak star Bernard Dong Bortey revealed that the spirit of the club is back and was confident that they would overturn the 3-0 deficit they had.
However, that did not happen with the team falling short in the end. The two legs showed that the Phobians did not have the capability to compete with the best in Africa.
They would need to go back to the drawing board.
A better performance in the second leg
In the first leg, Hearts of Oak were very disappointing in Burkina Faso, conceding three goals without reply. In the second leg, they fell short but there were positives.
The hosts created a number of chances to convert. Even though they only managed to score once, David Ocloo should be proud of the fighting spirit they showed.
Fans turn out an issue
In a game as big and important as this, many expected fans to fill the stadium. However, viewers were disappointed as fans failed to turnout.
There was a huge chunk of empty seats at the Accra Sports stadium, a disappointment for everyone.
In future tournaments hopefully, fans will do well to make appearances in stadiums.
Hearts can now focus on GPL
Currently, the Ghana Premier League has been suspended due to an injunction placed by the High Court. When the league eventually returns, Hearts of Oak would not have other distractions.
The CAF Confederation Cup competition is a tedious one and would have stretched the resources of the club, making them lose focus in the GPL.
With that out of the way, the club can channel their strength there.
Ghana’s future in Africa looks bleak
In the last few years, Ghana have struggled in African competitions. This year has been no different.
Apart from Hearts of Oak suffering a painful exit, arch-rivals Asante Kotoko also suffered a disappointing exit of their own, losing to RC Kadiogo in Kumasi.
If Ghana’s two biggest teams are struggling in Africa, there is really little hope for the future.
