Togo’s football representatives in the CAF Interclub Cups, ASCK and ASKO of Kara, have both been knocked out of the competition following their defeats on Sunday in the second preliminary round. ASCK faced ASEC Mimosas of Côte d’Ivoire, while ASKO battled Mali’s Djoliba Athletic Club, with neither side managing to progress.
ASCK’s campaign ended in Abidjan, where they were defeated 2-0 by ASEC Mimosas. The Ivorian side took the lead just before halftime when Souleymane Coulibaly found the back of the net in added time (45+1).
That crucial goal swung the momentum in favor of ASEC, leaving ASCK scrambling to recover.
Any hopes the Togolese side had of making a comeback were dashed shortly after the restart, as Salifou Diarrassouba extended ASEC’s lead in the 47th minute.
From that point on, ASCK struggled to regain control, and the 2-0 scoreline remained unchanged until the final whistle, sealing their exit from the competition.
Meanwhile, in Lomé, ASKO Kara was unable to overturn their first-leg defeat against Djoliba Athletic Club. After losing 1-0 in Bamako, the northern Togolese side returned home with hopes of reversing the result but fell short once again.
Djoliba secured another 1-0 victory, extinguishing ASKO’s chances of advancing to the group stages.
Despite their best efforts, ASKO could not break down Djoliba’s defense, and the match ended with the same score as the first leg, ensuring the Malian club’s progression.
For both ASCK and ASKO, this elimination marks the end of their CAF Cup and African Champions League dreams for this season.
ASCK, known as the Chauffeurs de la Kozah, and ASKO will have to regroup and refocus their efforts on domestic competitions after coming so close to reaching the group stages of Africa’s prestigious club tournaments.
The defeats are a bitter pill to swallow for Togo’s football fans, who had high hopes for their teams’ success on the continental stage.
However, with their early exit, the focus will now shift back to the national league, where both clubs will aim to bounce back from this disappointment.
