The fairy tale of Dreams FC in the CAF Confederation Cup continues as they book a place in the semi-finals of the competition at the expense of Stade Malien over two legs.
The reigning FA Cup winners saw the Malians off at the Baba Yara Stadium despite being held to a pulsating 1-1 draw.
Yoro Diaby’s 60th-minute goal was cancelled by Simba Sylvester to give Dreams a 3:2 aggregate advantage, having won the reverse encounter by 2-1 in Bamako.
The results meant Dreams FC were the first to reach the last four with three other matches scheduled to be played later tonight to determine the other three teams to join them for the pre-final contest.
After securing a 2-1 victory in the first leg, Dreams FC was expected to begin the match on the front foot in order to unsettle the visitors with an early goal.
They were however lackadaisical with their approach to the game probably because of their advantage from the previous encounter.
The first ten minutes saw an even exchange with Stade Malien looking more purpos
eful upfront.
It was not until the quarter of an hour mark that Dreams FC started stamping their authority as expected by the home fans.
The Malians grew in confidence after the half-hour mark as they created nervous moments in the box of Dreams FC thereby keeping the opposite goalkeeper busy.
This forced the home side to step up their performance to prevent the determined Malians from causing any upset before the end of the first half.
The first half ended with very little to choose between the two teams who failed to create decent chances after 45 minutes.
Coach Abdul-Karim Zito withdrew Derrick Boateng for Ishmael Dede just after the restart as he sought to strengthen his attack.
Boateng Mensah’s effort from the edge of the box in the 47th minute struck the woodwork, denying him what could have been a stunning goal.
It was an improved performance on how they started the first half, but their delivery in the final third remained their biggest challenge.
They were punished for their lack of potency u
p front by the visitor who broke the deadlock against the run of play five minutes into the half.
A long free kick floated to the far end of the box and was headed back to the edge of the six-yard box where Diaby pounced on the ball for the opener.
Faced with the possibility of the visitors coming back into the game with another goal, the ‘Still Believe Boys’ lifted their performance and restored parity through Simba.
The left-footed attacker benefitted from a loose ball after the goalkeeper failed to grab a corner kick and he capitalised on the howler to score the equaliser from close range.
The goal boosted the confidence of Dreams FC who kept the goal area of the visitors boiling with a series of incursions.
They held on to secure a historic semi-final berth as debutants of the competition to the admiration of their fans who couldn’t hide their excitement after the final whistle.
Source: Ghana News Agency
