Ghanaian champions Samartex lost to Raja Casablanca in Morocco by 2-0, sending them packing from the CAF Champions League.
The scoreline indicated a 4-2 aggregate victory for the Moroccan team, who have gone through to the next round of the tournament.
Samartex managed to draw with Raja Casablanca in the first leg game in Accra. The Ghanaian team was hopeful of pulling off an upset, but Raja proved too strong at home.
Marouane Zila opened the scoring just before halftime, giving the Green Eagles the lead.
Samartex, under coach Nurudeen Amadu, fought hard but couldn’t find the equalizer needed to keep their continental dreams alive.
Raja sealed their victory in the 88th minute with a second goal from Naoufel Zerhouni, ending Samartex’s debut campaign in Africa’s premier club competition.
Despite the loss, Samartex remained optimistic about the lessons learned. In a statement on social media, the club said, “This experience, though disappointing, offers numerous lessons that we can use to improve and strengthen our performance in the future.”
The club is however optimistic of retaining their title as GPL champions and returning to the CAF Championshipstronger next season.