Istanbul coach Jonas Amissah was left satisfied with his side despite their 3-2 defeat to Kotoko in the Ghana MTN FA Cup on Sunday.
The Porcupine Warriors needed to dig deep before beating the highly-rated Ghanaian second-tier side at the Baba Yara stadium to advance to the quarter-finals.
Istanbul struck first through Felix Addo before Aminu Mohammed equalized for Kotoko. The home side went ahead through Larbi Koomson but the visitors showed their prowess by grabbing the equalizer through Eric Agyei.
However, with four minutes remaining, subsitutue Abdul Aziz Yusif scored the match winner to ensure their passage to the last eight.
Istanbul trainer Jonas Amissah was delighted with the display from his charges and confident it will prove crucial in their Division One League promotional play-offs.
ââ¬ÅI am very happy with the performance of my team. Even though we lost, we never disgraced ourselves,â⬠Amissah said
ââ¬ÅWe gave them (Kotoko) a good run for their money and they will remember this game for a long time.
ââ¬ÅWe could have won this game if we had kept our concentration intact. But nevertheless, weââ¬â¢re happy with our performance.
ââ¬ÅWe were playing against the Ghanaian champions and so you should give us some credit.
ââ¬ÅI am hopeful that weââ¬â¢ll go into the promotional play-offs in buoyant mood.ââ¬
Istanbul, based in Akyem Techicam in the Eastern Region, will battle Great Olympics, Okwahu United and Tema Youth for the single Premiership slot available in their group.