Asante Kotoko SC suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Al Hilal Omdurman in their first outing of the CAF Confederation group stage.
A first half strike by 20-year-old Waleed Bakhiek Hamid was enough for the hosts at the Al Hilal Stadium in Omdurman on Sunday.
The first thirty minutes looked very balance as both sides very cautious of committing errors.
The Blue Wave with their slight advantage in possession finally went ahead in the 40th minute through Bakhiet Hamid.
He connected a headed pass from Nasr El Din Shigel following a free-kick.
A minute afterwards, Asante Kotoko nearly pulled parity but Abdul Fatawu Safiu’s effort came off the crossbar.
The Porcupine Warriors improved their performance in the second half by having more of the possession but failed to create scoring chances.
ZESCO United beat Nkana FC 2-0 in the other group match on Sunday in Zambia.
Asante Kotoko will host ZESCO United in their next group game at the Baba Yara Stadium.
