Bibiani GoldStars faced a challenging debut in the CAF Champions League, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Algerian side JS Kabylie in the first leg of the preliminary round at Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday.
JS Kabylie took control early, with Aymen Mahious having a goal disallowed for offside in the eighth minute. However, Medhi Merghem broke the deadlock in the 21st minute, giving the visitors a deserved lead. GoldStars showed improvement after halftime, creating several scoring chances but failing to capitalize due to poor finishing.
The Ghanaian champions were dealt a further blow in the 70th minute when Babacar Sarr scored from a corner, doubling Kabylie’s advantage. The loss leaves GoldStars with a steep challenge in the return leg in Algiers next week, where they must overturn the two-goal deficit to advance.
The winner of this tie will face either East End Lions of Sierra Leone or Tunisia’s US Monastir in the second preliminary round. Despite the setback, GoldStars coach Frimpong Manso remains optimistic, having rallied Ghanaians for support ahead of the match.
