League Day 4: Oly Spanked

Oly Lose 3-0
Liberty Professionals took a giant step to grab the maximum three points at stake when they spanked city rivals, Wonder Club, Accra Great Olympics 3-0 in their league match played at the Accra Sports Stadium.

It was the heaviest humiliation the Wonder Club has ever suffered since the league began, leaving sad expressions on the faces of their few fans. Olympics gave a very promising start, hoping that they were going to carry the day but unfortunately, they wasted their early chances through poor finishing.

Olympics could have taken an early lead in the 10th minute when John Cudjoe who was well positioned to score shot into the waiting hands of goalkeeper Maxwell Owusu-Banahene in post for Liberty after being set up by Amui Quaye. The Dansoman (Accra)-based lads also failed in their earlier attempts in the second and third minutes when John Paintsil's cross to Emmanuel Asante was wasted as goalie Theodore Atsu in post for Olympics gave a quick dive to deprive Liberty from an early lead.

Anxious-looking Olympics continued their pursuit for goals by subjecting their opponents to a total suppression but failed miserably, especially in the 33rd minute when Owusu Ansah squandered an opportunity after receiving a left flank cross from Numo Mohammed.

Liberty who were not cowed by Olympics' aggression won a penalty the 23rd minute but Ernest Papa Arko slammed the ball against the crossbar. Their pressure however paved off in the 38th minute when keeper Atsu rushed off his line and allowed Papa Arko to slot the ball into an empty net.

The game continued on a faster note with both teams struggling to mount pressure on each but Olympics failed to equalise while Liberty also could not increase the tally. On resumption, the Dansoman-based boys shocked Olympics with another quick goal from Papa Arko, his fifth in the season, in the 45th minute when he spun away from his marker and buried the ball in the net.

With two goals to their credit, Liberty mounted pressure on Olympcis and gained another goal three minutes later through Alfred Larbi, who took advantage of a defensive blunder by Olympics and slotted the ball home. Liberty had more chances from then on but failed to utilise them while Olympics appeared demoralised and could not make good use of the few chances they had till the end of the match.

Hearts 1-0 Okwawu

Accra Hearts of Oak beat a stubborn Okwawu United by a lone goal in a scrappy fourth week Premier League encounter at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday. The only goal of the match came in the 63rd minute through Awudu Adama, who made it a winning debut for the Phobians after his transfer from Dawu Youngsters.

Hearts, who came into the game as the overwhelming favourites, kicked off and dominated the early exchanges with short passes in midfield but could not break through the tight five-man defence of Okwawu marshalled around George Tutu.

The mountaineers, who found it difficult dealing with the Hearts onslaught, adopted all sorts of tricks to frustrate the Hearts attack, resulting in many hold-ups.

Referee T.R.K. Attifu from Tarkwa did not help matters as he ignored many dangerous tackles by both sides, which encouraged retaliation that marred the flow of the game. The first opening came in the 20th minute when Laryea created space in the box and laid the ball for George Eranio who messed up the chance, letting Okwawu off the hook.

Hearts continued to push forward in droves as Okwawu defenders had resorted to foul play, which earned Hearts many freekicks around the penalty Box. But Edmund Copson and Frank Turkson wasted all of them to end the first half goalless.

On resumption, Hearts made the substitution that was to change the destiny of the game when they brought on Adama for Eranio to add bite to the attack, which was having a hard time with the hard-tackling Okwawu defence. But the change rather produced the reverse effect as Okwawu switched from their defensive approach to a more attacking game that nearly brought them the first goal in the 57th minute. This was when Isaac Asante brought out a diving save from Eben Dida who had previously been on holiday.

Three minutes later, Okwawu again came close when Osei Bonsu lobbed the ball over advancing Dida but the ball just went past the post to the relief of the Hearts fans. Hearts regrouped and in the 63rd minute scored the only goal of the game after Turkson, playing on the left wing, slipped in a pass behind the Okwawu defence for Adama to stretch and push it beyond the reach of advancing keeper Frank Dauda.

That goal was Adama's last contribution to the game as he sustained an injury in his effort to score the goal and was substituted by Adjah Tetteh. In the last minute of the game, Okwawu's Daniel Babayara had a golden chance to equalise but his shot from close range went over the bar.

B.A. United shock Hasaacas at home

Visiting Brong Ahafo United beat Sekondi Hasaacas 1-0 in their premier league match played at the Sekondi Gyandu Park on Sunday. The goal was scored by Usman Sakora in the 76th minute.

In the first half, both sides contended themselves with tactical and defensive and made few incursions into the opposing penalty areas. After 40 minutes attack and counter-attack, the game slowed down considerably. The tight defensive play of the two teams did not permit any serious attempt at goal in the first half as most shots taken from the penalty areas went wide.

As the spectators shouted for goals on commencement of the second half, Hasaacas went forward but were soon stopped in their tracks by Brong Ahafo United. The visitors were unable to put their subsequent dominance of the game to an advantage and were often caught on the break by the homesters who also failed to get a goal.

In the midst missed fortunes and the pendulum swinging from one end to the other, Usman Sakora connected a pass into the net of Hasaacas from a tight goal mouth action with 14 minutes remaining. Sakora was replaced by Ismail Fridos in the 86th minute and the visitors defended their thin lead to the end of the match.

King Faisal Hold Dawu

King Faisal put up a spectacular parformance to hold Dawu Youngsters to a 2-2 drawn game at the Dawu Park, reports A. Kofoya Tetteh. Dawu dictated the pace in the early minutes of the game and found the net in the third minute through Paul Ofori, but saw their lead cancelled in the 31st minute when Yahuza Abubakari headed home an inswinger.

Both teams came back from recess very strongly and scored a goal apiece in the dying minute. Issah Ahmed scored for Dawu, while Yahuza came up again for Faisal.

Bofoakwa stop Goldfields

Bofoakwa Tano played a determined game on Sunday to beat visiting Obuasi Goldfields 2-0 in their league match played at the Sunyani Coronation Park. Half time score was 1-0.

To Bofoakwa the victory ensured their superiority over the Obuasi team for some years now. With their recent 3-1 home victory over Kumasi Asante Kotoko at the Len Clay Sports Stadium in mind, Goldfields went straight into attack after a minute's silence was observed for the late Premier League referee Okine who died during a training session of referees last week.

Fielding almost the same side that humiliated Kotoko the Obuasi lads attacked in raids but were not given any quarter by Bofoakwa who matched them boot for boot. Bofoakwa began to gain the upper-hand when the game was 13 minutes old, with Osei Boateng, Kwaku Duah, Kofi Asiedu, Tahiru Abulai, Pasco Amponsah and slippery Charles Benson playing like wounded tigers up-front.

The homesters, however, grabbed the opener in the 30th minute Goldfields goalie Abubakari Kankani misjudged in his attempt to save a high ball and punched the ball onto the path of Kwaku Duah who gently tapped it into an empty net. Both sides made substitutions but it was Bofoakwa who benefited as in the 75th minute Kofi Asiedu after beating three defenders in a row shot the ball into the net for his side's second goal.

Power win

Power FC yesterday played above themselves to beat Real Tamale United 1-0 in their premier league match at the Koforidua Stadium reports Samuel K. Yirenkyi.
The goal came in the 83rd minute through a penalty converted brilliantly by Dennis Odoom after a defender of RTU under pressure handled the ball in the full glare of the referee.

League table/Results