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Medeama Head Coach Ibrahim Tanko has attributed his side’s early exit from the CAF Champions League to a lack of experience among some of his players at the continental level.
The Ghanaian champions were eliminated in the first preliminary round after suffering a 3-1 defeat to TP Mazembe in the second leg in Lubumbashi on Sunday, resulting in a 4-1 aggregate loss.
Medeama travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg at the TNA Stadium in Tarkwa last Sunday.
However, their hopes of progressing were dealt an early blow when TP Mazembe took the lead just three minutes into the game through Patrick Mwaungulu.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 19th minute, with Josué Kazema finding the back of the net to give Mazembe a 2-0 lead on the day and put Medeama under significant pressure.
The Ghanaian champions needed at least two goals to overturn the first-leg deficit, but instead found themselves three goals down when Mwaungulu scored his second of the night in the 76th minute, converting a free-kick to put Mazembe firmly in control.
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Dominic Amponsah pulled one back for Medeama, but the goal proved to be little more than a consolation as TP Mazembe held on to secure a 3-1 victory and complete a 4-1 aggregate triumph.
Speaking after the game, Tanko admitted that some of his players struggled with the occasion, having been exposed to this level of continental football for the first time.
“Like I said before, we gave the goals up. Unfortunately, we have a lot of players who are playing here for the first time, at this level, so definitely they are jittery a bit.”
Tanko also explained that Medeama attempted to respond after falling behind, making changes and pushing forward in search of the goals needed to turn the tie around.
“We made very good changes, and then we pressed to get the goals, but unfortunately it didn’t work out well.”
The defeat brings Medeama’s CAF Champions League campaign to a disappointing end at the first hurdle, while TP Mazembe advance to the next round after securing a comprehensive 4-1 aggregate victory.
For the Ghanaian champions, the focus will now shift back to domestic competition as they look to build on their title-winning campaign and gain more experience ahead of future continental assignments.
