Asante Kotoko coach, Mariano Barreto says his charges could have doubled the figures after trouncing Bechem United 4-0 in a Ghana Premier League outstanding fixture on Wednesday.
The heavy win was not only thier biggest scoreline in the 2020/21 campaign but also the first time Kotoko scored four goals without reply in 5 years, 6 months and 26 days. The last feat was against Aduana Stars on September 13, 2015.
Centre-back Ismail Ganiyu opened the floodgates before Fabio Gama’s neat finish double the lead on the stroke of half time. Francis Andy Kumi made it 3-0 on the hour mark before Michael Vinicius, who replaced him for his Kotoko debut, sealed the victory with a rebound effort in the 82nd minute.
But the Portuguese trainer believes that, with the many chances created especially by his side, a 9-1 scoreline would have been a true reflection of the game at the Len Clay Stadium.
“[The team did] not completely [play the way I wanted].
“I’m happy with the way they tried to make things happen but I think if they take so many of the clear goal-scoring chances, it should be 8-0 or 9-0. Okay, not 9-0, they [Bechem] had one chance [to score],” Barreto said in a post-match interview.
The 64-year-old added: “They [players] tried to show in the game what we have been working on in training. But there are so many things we need to improve on.
“Just because we won 4-0 doesn’t mean we are heroes. We have no time. After the match, we will have two training sessions on Thursday because we have a big match on the weekend and there are many things we need to improve.”
Asante Kotoko host Berekum Chelsea next in a match-day 19 fixture at Len Clay Stadium on Sunday, April 11.
