What Kofi Kordzi has said about absence of Hearts of Oak fans in Caf Champions League victory over CI Kamsar
The bulky striker was one of the heros in the Hearts of Oak victory against Club Industriel Kamsar last Sunday striking from incredible free kick to put his side ahead 8’ minutes to full time.
Though he came in as a sub in the second half, his introduction opened up Kamsar’s defense on regular basis connecting well with Salifu Ibrahim to score the open goal as Hearts of Oak won 2-0 at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Another second half sub Salim Adams completed the score line after sending in a powerful shot from outside the box into the bottom net.
All the two scorers have recently joined the Ghana Premier League champions ahead of their African campaign with Kofi Kordzi making a return having first left Hearts of Qatar two seasons ago.
Prior to the kickoff against Kamsar, Caf issued changes to the game with one seeing the first leg clash in Guinea cancelled due to political unrest. The game was then played in a one-off circumstance and at the Accra Sports Stadium, the famous home ground of Hearts of Oak who got the advantage over the Guinean side.
Hearts could have further been boosted by the presence of their fans at the Accra Sports Stadium but the Confederation of African Football (Caf) released a statement later for the game to be played behind closed doors.
While the impact of absence of the supports on the game was evident in the Hearts 2-0 victory, Kofi Kordzi has admitted that though many others have contrasting views.
This means the Phobians played in an empty stadium (without fans) against the Guinean club in the preliminary fixture.
When reacting to the absence of their fans, Kordzi stated that it was a painful moment without the fans as they only got to know that they won’t be playing in the presence of their fans a day before the game.
“It was painful without them at the stadium and we felt their absence because we needed that atmosphere. We were worried when we heard the fans won’t be coming,” he told Kumasi-based Pure FM in an interview.
The game against Kamsar is Hearts’ first Caf Champions League in 13 years when they last played against Gabonese side FC 105 Libreville. Hearts were crushed out in the prelims after falling behind on 3-4 aggregate.
The Ghanaian side lost 3-0 in the first leg but failed to overturn the deficit in the second leg where they beat FC 105 Libreville 3-1.
With their latest victory, Hearts will now face Moroccan giants Wydad Athletic in the first round of the Caf Champions League. Hearts will be expected to play first at home before returning for the second leg at Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco.
