Asante Kotoko bounced back from the disappointment against Elmina Sharks on Wednesday when they secured a 1-0 win against King Faisal in their outstanding game in the Ghana Premier League, thanks to a late goal from Naby Keita.



Johnson Smith will be relieved after his side registered their first win in four games.

Asante Kotoko started the game with a lot of energy but King Faisal matched them boot for boot in the first 45 minutes of the game. The home side came close to scoring after their free-kick struck the upright before going over.

Augustine Okrah and Habib Mohammed went out injured in the first half of the game and were replaced by Fabio Gama and Adom Frimpong.

Imoro Ibrahim came close to scoring in the early stages of the second half when his effort from the set-piece braced the upright and went over.

Naby Keita who came on for Patrick Asmah, was the hero of the day after beating a defender before slotting home the winner to give Kotoko all three points.

Asante Kotoko move to 4th position on the Ghana Premier League table after their win on Wednesday.

Naby Keita’s agent has attacked Asante Kotoko coach Maxwell Konadu for refusing to field his player this season, he revealed that his player is fit and not injured but Maxwell Konadu has chosen not to play him.

The striker is yet to play a game for Asante Kotoko this season, Maxwell Konadu is yet to include him in the match squad of any of their Ghana Premier League game or the CAF Champions League games.

Asante Kotoko have been relying on two strikers this season; Kwame Poku and Osman Ibrahim, and they have both scored two goals each this season for the club.

Naby Keita’s agent, however, thinks that his player is better than all the strikers at Kotoko and should be playing instead of being sidelined.

“Naby Keita is fit and not injured but the coach has decided not to use him. For now, he is still part of the Kotoko team so anytime he is called upon he will play” Kouadio told Kumasi-based radio station OTEC FM

“No one is begging anybody to use him (Keita), he is a good striker and I can boldly tell you that none of the Kotoko attackers is better than him,” he added.

Asante Kotoko coach Maxwell Konadu talked about the injury situation at the club and also talked about Fabio Gama and striker Naby Keita.

The Porcupines suffered another injury blow against Legon Cities after three players were substituted before the second 45 minutes of the game; Emmanuel Keyekeh, Adom Frimpong, and Osman Ibrahim.

On the three injured players (Osman Ibrahim, Adom Frimpong, and Emmanuel Keyekeh)

” I don’t know yet, the doctors are still assessing the situation and will give us a report, maybe by tomorrow,” he said.

On playing without Mudasiru and how his absence affects the team

“I don’t know what to do, our medical team has to work extremely hard to get the players back as soon as possible because we keep losing players every weekend. It is difficult for us and this year we didn’t register too many payers, we have to manage the situation and see the players available for the next game”

On Naby Keita

“He will play, he is working hard and will feature very soon. He will play soon”

On William Opoku Mensah

“He will have his chance to play. We have played only three games, so there are a lot more games for him to get his chance and play”

On Fabio Gama

“We are almost done with his documentations and other necessary protocols, he is close to playing for the team. I was pleased with his performance in the training session this week, he will play very soon”

Asante Kotoko secured a 1-0 win against FC San Pedro of Ivory Coast in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup playoffs, thanks to a late penalty goal from Naby Keita.

After yesterday’s game was abandoned due to the heavy downpour, Asante Kotoko and FC San Pedro continued the game today at 2 pm at the Baba Yara Stadium.

The Porcupines struggled to find the back of the net after an impressive defensively display from the away team; Richard Arthur, Sogne Yacouba and Naby Keita came close to scoring but couldn’t break the deadlock.

The home team was awarded a penalty in injury time after striker Sogne Yacouba was brought down in the opponent’s box.

Naby Keita stepped up and scored to give his team a chance in the second leg.

Asante Kotoko will travel to Ivory Coast to play FC San Pedro as they will be looking to secure a positive result to put them in the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup.

Asante Kotoko are through to the Special Competition Tier-two semifinals after beating Berekum Arsenal 2-1, thanks to goals from Naby Keita and Kwame Boahene.

Asante Kotoko opened the scoring in the 9th minute after Emmanuel Gyamfi’s cross was palmed to the path of Naby Keita who easily slot the ball at the back of the net.

Nii Adjei had a huge opportunity to double the Porcupines lead but failed to convert a great cross from Emmanuel Gyamfi.

Asante Kotoko grabbed their second goal through Kwame Boahene in the 24th minute who scored with an overhead kick inside the penalty box area.

Berekum Arsenal scored the consolation minutes before the half time through Ebenezer Aboagye who took advantage of miscommunication in the Asante Kotoko defence department.

Naby Keita and Stephen Nyarko came close to scoring in the second half but couldn’t find the back of the net.

The game ended 2-1, and Asante Kotoko are into the semi-finals.

Asante Kotoko will travel to face Ashantigold in Obuasi in the semifinals.

Asante Kotoko have left Kumasi for Obuasi ahead of the Special Competition game against Ashanti gold on Sunday at the Len Clay Stadium in Obuasi.

The Porcupines will be looking to bounce back from last game’s disappointment when they face Ashgold on Sunday.

Guinean striker Naby Keita Laye has left Asante Kotoko according to his agent, the club is yet to make it public knowledge but his agent confirmed that they have parted ways.

The player’s agent Gyansi Juantuah confirmed that the player is no longer with the club.

“He’s met the management and they’ve parted ways with him but I’m very proud of him for his achievement at Kotoko” Mr Juantuah told Kumasi FM.



Naby Keita joined the Porcupines six months ago on a three-year deal, the player was exceptional in the pre-season friendlies but has failed to replicate the same form in competitive games.

In preparations of the 2018/19 Caf Confederation Cup, Asante Kotoko moved to camp in Takoradi where the team will continue training.

Martin Antwi, Evans Owusu and Nii Adjei made their debut in the game; Nii Adjei assisted Naby Keita’s first goal and Martin Antwi assisted the second.



Kotoko intend to play a number of training matches against clubs in the Western region during the time and will crown their preparations with an international game at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium upon return to Kumasi.