Accra Hearts of Oak were crushed by Morocco’s Wydad Athletic Club (WAC) popularly known as Wydad Casablanca in the last preliminary round of CAF Champions on Sunday in an empty Mohamed V Stadium.
Hearts fell 6-1 away to Wydad on a day they seemed to have the chance to make history.
The Phobians entered the second leg motivated by their 1-0 victory against Wydad in Accra and was hoping to improve on that, only to witness their biggest defeat in CAF interclub tournaments.
Simon Msuva was the major challenge for Hearts, as the Tanzanian attacker netted a brace to bring his season total to three.
Samuel Boadu and his players turned up for the books after conceding three goals in the first 20 minutes.
Msuva opened the scoring for the Moroccans with a nudge past Richard Atta, who was glued to the spot.
Three minutes later, Aymane El Hassouni struck a free kick with deftness, slotting his effort under a splintered wall to increase Wydad’s advantage.
In the 20th minute, Achraf Dari leapt highest to head in a corner kick, putting the game beyond Hearts.
The Ghana Premier League winners’ nightmare continued as Yahya Jabrane converted a penalty after Atta fouled an opponent in the area.
Hearts players were at a loss for direction, particularly at half time, after an uninspired and disorganized performance.
The warning signs were there for Hearts, who conceded a fifth and sixth goal 15 minutes after the half from Ayoub El Amloud and Msuva.
Hearts of Oak renewed their energy in the last ten minutes and were rewarded with a consolation goal from Patrick Razak.
The remainder of the game was a formality as Wydad strolled to victory in front of empty seats due to a CAF’s directive that the game be played behind closed doors.
The Moroccan champions reach the Champions League group stages, while Hearts are relegated to the Confederations Cup play-off round.
