Ghana Premier League champions Bibiani Goldstars suffered a setback in their quest to reach the 2025/26 CAF Champions League group stages.

The boys from the Western North Region of Ghana defended their honor at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday after against Algerian giants JS Kabylie.

JS Kabylie opened the scoring through Merghem in the 20th-minute, as the Ghanaian champions inexperience in Africa’s elite club competition came to bare.

The Algerian champions completed their well-strategised victory as Sarr sent the game beyond the reach of GoldStars with a 70th-minute strike.

GoldStars would now have to conjure a miracle in the second leg far away in Algiers to move to the next round of qualification.