Former Asante Kotoko skipper Yussif Chibsah says he is convinced they lost the 2004 CAF Confederation Cup final against Hearts of Oak final from the bench after rewatching the match again.
The Rainbow club edged their bitterest rivals 8-7 in a penalty shootout at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi after the two legs ended 1-1 in a final that gripped the entire nation.
However, Chibsah dismissed assertions that Kotoko were inferior to Hearts over the two legs and that was why the Porcupine Warriors failed to win the trophy.
“Kotoko as a team and we the players were very confident that no matter what happens, we were going to win the first-ever Caf confederation cup because we did well in our group. I can confidently say that our group at the time was stronger than that of Accra Hearts of Oak but unfortunately our game plan changed on the match day and we had to lose painfully,” said on GTV Sports plus.
“After watching the game, again and again, I am convinced that Kotoko lost from the bench.”
“So in my view, I believe strongly that Hearts of Oak were destined to win the cup,” he added.
The two teams made the final after navigating a very tough group stage.
Kotoko topped their group which had the likes of Enugu Rangers of Nigeria, Al Hilal of Sudan and Petro de Atletico of Angola while Hearts topped their group ahead of Cameroonian pair of Cotonsport and FC Sable de Batie and Santos of South Africa.
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