Sports
Keep dreams alive, Dreams FC
• Abdul Karim Zito – Coach, Dreams FC
“When you dream, dream big; as big as the ocean blue. When you dream it might come true, when you dream, dream big.”
The above is a refrain of a song titled ‘Dream Big’ sang by Ryan Shupe & the Rubber band.
Evidently, that would be the song on the lips of Dreams FC supporters who are currently on cloud nine following the sterling performance of the club in the CAF Confederation Cup tournament.
They were even not given a dog’s chance when they qualified for the championship after emerging winners of the Ghana FA Cup competition.
Ghanaians are noted for not believing much in emerging clubs like Dreams FC. They are used to the traditional dominance of Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
Both sides have their rich history as far as participation in the continental club competitions are concerned. Kotoko, founded on August 31, 1935 have won the Ghanaian league for a record 24 times and at a point dominated at the continental level, crowning those moments with two Africa Club Championships trophies (rechristened CAF Champions League) in 1970 and 1983.
The climax of those formidable years was their announcement by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) as the African Club of the Century.
Accra Hearts of Oak pride themselves as the Premier Club of the nation but had to wait till the 2000s after their establishment on November 11, 1911 to be identified with the elites clubs on the continent.
They made it in a grand style; first winning the CAF Champions League in the year 2000 and went on to win the CAF Super Cup in 2001. It was followed by the Confederations Cup victory in 2004.
Such was the authority they wield in time past and entertained Ghanaian fans with their beautiful football.
Fans have since been left unconvinced about the abilities of Ashantigold SC, Medeama, Bechem United, Berekum Chelsea and others that have attempted to walk on the path of the traditional giants.
Therefore, having little or no confidence in Dreams FC’s fairytale was something very much expected from the start of the competition. The phrase is like ‘’if it’s not Kotoko or Hearts, then it’s no one.”
But interestingly, Dreams FC is on a path of their own to defy that order, faced with a tricky last hurdle to scale to land in the dream final.
Perhaps, it is their bumpy start that is making some fans believe they are still in a slumber, hoping to wake up to realise it was a dream.
In the first round match of the competition, Dreams FC accounted for Milo FC 3-2 on aggregate after holding them to a 1-1 result in Guinea and beat them 2-1 in Ghana on August 19 and 27, 2023, respectively.
With the rights to play in the second round, Dreams FC faced Sierra Leonean side, Kallon FC and recorded a slim 2-1 victory at home on September 15, 2023.
Many predicted doom for the Ghanaians in the second leg but they prevailed after holding the Sierra Leoneans 1-1 in the return leg on September 30, 2023 to book qualification into the group stage.
That in itself was historic for the club but it did not affect its forward match.
They were paired with Tunisia’s Club Africaine, Nigeria’s Rivers United and Academy Lobito of Angola.
On Sunday, November 26, 2023, Dreams FC kicked the group stage matches off in a whirlwind fashion, pulling a 2-0 victory over Club Africaine away, defeated Rivers United 2-1 at home on December 3, 2023, and suffered the first loss to Lobito (2-3) in Angola on December 10 to end the first round of the group matches.
Ten days later, Wednesday 20, 2023, Dreams recorded its heaviest scoreline in their campaign, registering a 4-0 victory over the Angolans in the second leg in Ghana, pulled a double over Africaine with a 1-0 victory on Sunday, February 25, 2024 and ended on a losing note to Rivers United (2-1) on Sunday, March 3, 2024.
That was enough to qualify them to the quarter final stage where they came face-to-face with Stade Malien on Sunday, March 31, 2024. They upset the Malians with a 2-1 victory but drew 1-1 in the return encounter a week on at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Ghana.
Against Zamalek and their prowess on the continent, Coach Karim Zito’s Dreams FC earned a goalless result in the first leg in Egypt on Sunday, April 21, 2024 with the second leg set for tomorrow at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
At this stage when it appears Dreams FC have surprised all including themselves, the onus lies on them to prove to all and sundry that the journey so far was no fluke.
The only real advantage they have is the fact that they are playing home and in front of their fans. And since both sides have no goal to their advantage, the tie is still 50-50 and knowing what Zamalek are capable of doing, irrespective of where they play, the pressure would surely be on the Ghanaians to deliver.
Indeed, this is the time to keep dreaming. The dream has been a long one and must not end now because there is nothing wrong about dreaming ‘BIG.’
By Andrew Nortey
Sports
Samartex up for Raja challenge
Coach Nurudeen Amadu
CAF Champions League campaigners, Samartex FC, will tomorrow face Moroccan giants, Raja Casablanca, in the second round preliminary stage first leg match at the Accra Sports Stadium at 3pm.
Samartex secured passage to the second round after beating Cameroonian champions, Victoria United, 1-0 in both home and away fixtures.
Raja qualified to this stage after ‘dismantling’ Nigerien side, Association Sportive de la Garde Nationale Nigérienne, (AS GNN) 7-1 on aggregate.
Samartex is reminiscing a chance to battle one of Africa’s greatest sides en route to playing at the group stages of the competition.
Ghanaians are well aware of the daunting task that face the current league champions but remain hopeful Samartex has what it takes to combat Raja.
Coach Amadu says they are unfased by the fire power of the visitors and has a plan to deal with the visitors.
Speaking ahead of the game, coach Amadu stated that, “Raja Casablanca scoring seven goals does not scare us; this is football and anything can happened. We know that it is going to be a very tough game, but we are ready for the task.”
Having drawn blank in their first league game which served as preparation for tomorrow’s game, Coach Amadu would be hoping Baba Hamadu Musa, Emmanuel Mamah, Michael Ephson and Isaac Afful have a good day in front of goal to take their chances.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
Sports
Up your game, Stars
Black Stars players celebrate a goal
Four days after Ghana’s pride as a football nation was punctured badly at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, fans kept hopes alive, believing that the Black Stars would bounce back with a victory over Niger at a neutral venue.
But that was not to be as the team stumbled again, conceding a late goal by the Nigeriens to deny the Black Stars a vital three points to revive their campaign to Morocco 2025 AFCON.
The two heartbreaks contributed to make the week one that football fans would want to erase from their memories.
Without any major achievement in recent years from the Black Stars, Ghanaians have guarded jealously a striking, remarkable and enviable record of making the Baba Yara Stadium venue a fortress for over 20 years.
Statistically, Ghana has been unbeaten in the last 24 years at the venue. That should be enough confidence booster for any faint-hearted fan.
But to see that record torn into pieces by a country not considered as a powerhouse is certainly a bitter pill to swallow.
The fans reacted aggressively following the shock defeat by causing destruction to facilities in the stadium, an action that cannot be justified but it is important to also state how unacceptable it was.
With those points lost, attention switched to a do-or-die battle against Niger at a neutral ground.
Despite the poor show in the first game, a bit of confidence prevailed ahead of the Niger game.
That stemmed from the blame game by officialdom on the quality of the pitch at the Kumasi Stadium. Photos and videos of the Berkane pitch suddenly dominated social media space, giving the hope that fans were about to see the Black Stars all expected.
Indeed, they showed glimpses of that but like it is always said, the end justifies the means.
Despite taking a first half lead from defender Alidu Seidu, the Stars went to sleep while the Nigeriens took over and stunned with the equaliser.
That was a blow too heavy for the fans to take and exposed what looks like a team lacking quality on the field and the bench.
Truth be told, watching the Black Stars is becoming a hell of a task for a lot of fans. Getting good pitches to play on has become a challenge. That is compounded by the poor display from the same players that performs incredibly with their respective teams abroad.
For Otto Addo, he is fast losing the confidence fans had in him and the earlier he ends the trend, the better would it be for him.
Struggling with AFCON qualifiers is not a good signal because it is the same matches all other countries are using to test their strength ahead of the World Cup qualifiers which would demand far more than what is at stake now.
By Andrew Nortey
