Moses Armah hails players despite Mazembe defeat

Medeama president Moses Armah praised his players despite their 3-1 defeat to TP Mazembe in their CAF Confederation Cup clash on Sunday.

The two-time Ghanaian FA Cup holders made a bright start by taking the lead after only four minutes through Malik Akowuah.

Influential midfielder Akowuah shocked fans in Lubumbashi by putting Medeama ahead with a neat strike in the fourth minute.

But Rainford Kalaba restored parity in the 21st minute for Mazembe before Salif Coulibally headed home on the stroke of half time.

Kalaba, the Zambian star, again curled home his side's third on the afternoon to leave the Ghanaians without a point in group A.

But Medeama president Moses Armah is refusing to blame his players insisting they deserve commendation.

"I am not disappointed with the performance of the boys. We are a very young team and we can only learn from our mistakes," he said

"Even the Black Stars struggle against Rainford Kalaba at the international level, so we must go home and prepare for our next game.

"Sekondi is a no-go area for any of the visiting teams. We are going to win our matches and progress into the semi-finals.

"Ghanaians should not be disappointed. We played against an African set-up, who are more experienced.

"They (Ghanaians) should continue to support us and not lose faith."

The Mauve and Yellows will host Algerian side MO Bejaia on Wednesday June 29.

The North Africans are second in group A after beating Tanzanian champions Young Africans 1-0 on Sunday.