Kotoko knew San Pedro were strong in the air - Zachariassen

Asante Kotoko coach Kjetil Zachariassen has apologised for his team's elimination from the Caf Confederation Cup on Sunday.

The Ghanaians' hopes of making the group stage of the championship for a second straight year was dashed by a 2-0 away loss to Ivorian side San Pedro.

The play-off round second leg fixture saw the home side progress to the group stage on a 2-1 aggregate following a 1-0 loss in Kumasi.

“Let me say we are very sorry for the loss," Zachariassen said, as reported by Footballghana.

“Two set-piece goals against us and it is what we have been training on because we know they are strong in the air.

"We wanted to really avoid all free kicks around our penalty area."

Sunday's defeat brought Kotoko's African campaign to an end. The Porcupines began the season in the Caf Champions League where a first-round loss to Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia forced their demotion to the second-tier Confederation Cup championship.