The Phobians have addressed their fans after a poor showing in the continental inter-club competition
Hearts of Oak have issued a statement apologising for their embarrassing defeat to Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca in the Caf Champions League on Sunday.
In their first continental inter-club away game since 2015, the Phobians were at sixes and sevens as they were handed a 6-1 thrashing in the first round, second leg fixture.
Having registered a slim 1-0 home win in the first leg in Accra, Hearts crashed out of the Champions League on a 6-2 aggregate and into the Caf Confederation Cup playoffs.
“We succumbed to a painful defeat in Morocco because we were nowhere close to our best on the night. We know that we are capable of a much better performance than what we showed in Morocco,” the Phobians’ statement on Monday reads.
“But it was a great learning experience for our young players and technical team, majority of whom were experiencing their very first taste of continental football away from home.
“We have a chance to make amends in the confederation cup and this important lesson we have picked up in Morocco will inspire us to rise above our current disappointment…
“We apologize to our fans for not making the ultimate dream come true, but we believe this is the time that the team needs you most to accomplish the tasks ahead. The Caf Champions League is a project we gradually want to make an impact on again after a very long absence.”
CLUB NOTICE!!!#AHOSC #CAFChampionsLeague #PhobiaToTheWorld pic.twitter.com/qgY0hCqr0n
— Phobians – GPLChampions🏅🏆 (@HeartsOfOakGH) October 25, 2021
On the day, Tanzania ace Simon Msuva netted twice for Wydad, adding to goals from Aymane El Hassouni, Achraf Dari, Yahya Jabrane, and Ayoub El Amloud.
Winger Patrick Razak recorded Hearts’consolation which proved woefully inadequate to save their fall from the Champions League.
Champions League winners in 2000, Hearts reached the first round after a 2-0 home victory over Guinean side Club Industriel de Kamsar in the preliminary round.
The two teams faced off in a one-off fixture in Accra, the originally scheduled first leg fixture in Guinea cancelled due to political instability in the country.
Samuel Boadu’s side’s return to the Champions League was a result of their winning of the Ghana Premier League last season.
Source: Source: Goal
