Antwi Scores Twice As Al Ahly Suffers Defeat To Zesco United

Ghana’s John Antwi scored twice for Al-Ahly in the African Champions League quarter-final group opener on Saturday as they were defeated 3-2 by Zambia’s Zesco United.

The Rising Ghana star, a 23-year-old forward who arrived at Ahly before this season from Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab Riyadh, struck back just three minutes later.

It was his second goal of the tournament, after his last-32 knockout-round strike in a 2-0 aggregate win over Angola’s Recreativo do Libolo.

Zesco  who have never reached this stage of the tournament, emerged surprise victors  against Al-Ahly who were favorite going into the match

Martin Jol-managed Ahly are a record eight-time winners of the African Champions League, their last title coming in 2013. They regained the Egyptian Premier League title last year from Cairo rivals Zamalek, who are in the other last-8 Champions League group, after they lost it the season prior for the first time in a decade. With three matches remaining in the 2015/16 Egyptian season, they own a five-point advantage on Zamalek to retain the title.

Antwi Scores Twice As Al Ahly Suffers Defeat To Zesco United

Former Fulham Manager Praises Ghanaian Striker

Martin Jol praised the performance of Al Ahly and Ghanaian striker John Antwi in their friendly game against Roma where they won by 4-3 on Friday.

John Antwi

The Ghanaian striker, who hasn’t been getting enough playing time at Al Ahly, scored the Red Devils’ first goal in the game, before making way for Malick Evouna in the second half.

“He always embarrasses me because of the failure to pay him, despite his brilliance and scoring goals,” Jol said during the post-match press conference.

The former Tottenham Hotspur manager also spoke about the importance of the game and the role of the substitutes with the team. Several players who have been constantly benched during the league games took part in Roma’s match, including Ahmed El-Sheikh, who scored Al Ahly’s winning goal.

“We benefited from giving the chance for many players during the game, and they were able to prove themselves. For example, Saad Samir was able to stop an excellent striker as Edin Dzeko,” Jol added.

The Dutch manager, who was happy with the result, expressed his delight with the huge number of fans who attended the game, which took place at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in the UAE.

“I am happy with the result and that we defeated a great team like Roma…Al Ahly fans are the best in the world and they can only be compared to Hamburger SV,” he concluded.

Former Fulham Manager Praises Ghanaian Striker