Bibiani GoldStars’ CAF Champions League debut suffered a setback as they fell 2–0 to Algerian giants JS Kabylie in the first leg of their preliminary-round clash on Saturday.

The Ghanaian champions struggled to find their rhythm early, and the hosts capitalized. Medhi Merghem broke the deadlock in the 21st minute with a sharp finish from a right-wing cross. Later, in the 70th minute, Babacar Sarr punished slack marking from a corner to double the advantage and leave the visitors chasing the game.

Head coach Frimpong Manso admitted his side’s own mistakes proved costly. “It was a difficult game, and we made too many mistakes in the first half,” he reflected. “When you start losing passes in midfield against a team like JS Kabylie, you’ll always find yourself under pressure. We simply didn’t play well early on.”

The result means GoldStars face an uphill battle in the return leg in Algeria, needing to overturn a two-goal deficit to stay alive in the competition. Manso and his players now have a week to tighten their defence and sharpen their attack before the decisive second leg.