Soccer News of Monday, 5 November 2001
Source: .
Star Premier League Results 26th week
Maxbees FC 1-0 Liberty Profs.
Dawu Youngs 2-0 Real United
Brek Arsenals 2-0 Goldfields
Olympics 1-1 Kotoko
King Faisal 0-0 Hearts
Adansiman 1-0 Ghapoha FC
Hasaacas 1-2 Okwahu Utd
Bofoakwa 1-0 K'birem
King Faisal stretch Hearts
KING Faisal, struggling to escape relegation, played a determined game in their Star Premier league match against league leaders, Accra Hearts of Oak, but had to contend with a barren draw to split the points.
Two players who stole the show in the match and received much applause from the fans were the two goalkeepers, Sammy Adjei of Accra Hearts of Oak and Samuel Okyere of King Faisal.
While Adjei proved that he is one of the best in the country by standing between King Faisal and total victory, Samuel Okyere’s determination was the cynosure of most of the fans who cheered continuously any time he made a brilliant save.
Faisal should have gone ahead just under two minutes but Sammy Adjei made light work of Yusif Chibsah’s tricky shot.
A minute later, Samuel Okyere was on hand to save Don Bortey’s intelligent shot to win the confidence of the fans.
Okyere was on hand again in the 10th minute to dive full length to push Charles Taylor’s shot to corner for a wasted kick.
Determined to avenge their first round 0-2 defeat at the Accra Sports Stadium, Faisal took control of the midfield midway in the half and dictated the pace but found it difficult to unlock the iron clad defence of Hearts which revolved around Amankwah Mireku, Dan Oppong and Stephen Tetteh.
On the few occasions that they broke through, Sammy Adjei was too alert to be beaten. Hearts also responded with fast counter-attacks, with Charles Taylor, Don Bortey and Emmanuel Osei Kuffour being the main architects.
By the 30th minute, Kumasi fans who had filled the stadium in their numbers had been fed with great football and were in high spirits awaiting the opening goal, but their expectations failed to materialised by the end the half.
In the second half, Hearts made a number of changes, bringing in Dan Quaye, Emmanuel Donkor and Kenneth Sarpong for Stephen Tetteh, Don Bortey and Emmanuel Osei Kuffour respectively, whilst Faisal replaced Frank Darko with Frank Osei, but the same trend continued till Koforidua-based Class One referee J. Atikese brought hostilities to an end. Oly, Kotoko deadlock
Kumasi Asante Kotoko put up a brave fight yesterday to prevent Accra Great Olympics from running away winners after they settled for a 1-1 draw after an entertaining match played at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Just before kickoff, Olympics was dealt a big blow when their star striker J.B. Danquah pulled out of the game with an injury. But his absence notwithstanding, the Wonder Club put up perhaps their best performance of the season, which underscored their impressive run in the second round of the season.
Perhaps had Danquah featured, Olympics would have run riot, especially in the first half, as the Kotoko defence looked uncharacteristically lethargic and allowed David Sarkodie and Francis Mantey to draw rings in front of their goalmouth.
However, goalkeeper Luis Quainoo provided a safe pair of hands that kept Olympics at bay until the 23rd minute when they took the lead through a spot kick. Kotoko's stalwart centre-back Joseph Hendericks, who had a mouthful handling Olympics' slippery attackers, handled Mantey 's shot at goal and referee Emmanuel Bissi rightly awarded a spot kick which Nana Eshun drilled into the net for the opening goal.
Kotoko too had an equal measure of scoring chance especially in the seventh minute when Fuseini Adams's long range shot nearly caught Olympics' goalie David Sharpe wrong-footed after it deflected off a defender. And seven minutes later, Kotoko's defender Felix Yeboah missed a begging chance when he blasted wide a neat through pass from midfield gem Stephen Oduro.
On the half-hour mark, Sharpe lived up to his name and denied Kotoko a goal, when he made a super save of a powerful goal-bound header by Kotoko's burly midfielder Anas Mohammed, who connected a measured cross from hardworking Oduro.
But for a few questionable decisions, Bissi performed creditably. But he won no such applause from Kotoko's coach Ernst Middendorp who nearly attacked the referee during half time for perceived injustice against his side.
However, the timely intervention by security personnel averted any nasty confrontation from the German.
However in typical Kum Apem Apem Beba spirit, Kotoko fought back with recharged batteries after the break. Middendorp quickly reorganised his defence with the introduction of Isaac Owusu and Godfried Yeboah and subsequently left little room for Olympics to operate as the Porcupine warriors adopted a more offensive play.
Olympics' centre-backs Philip Kutsu and George Essilfie played sheriff on Joe Okyere and Stephen Oduro and stripped Kotoko of most of their offensive terror. However, they left their former team-mate Aziz Ansah unmarked to finish one of their many attacks with a deserved equaliser, as his powerful header to a cross zoomed past Sharpe.
The equaliser charged the Oseikrom boys and they subjected the home side to some uncomfortable moments, but Olympics soon regained their composure and began running the show in the latter minutes of the game with their one-touch game but could not change the scores. Arsenals sink G’fields
Obuasi Goldfields looked a jaded side against Berekum Arsenals who won a 2-0 victory at the Coronation Park in their Star Premier league encounter.
The two goals that further sank Goldfields on the league table were struck with clinical precision on each occasion.
The game was just a minute old when Arsenals found the opener.
FIFA referee Ibrahim Iddrisu from Tamale awarded Arsenals a free kick just outside the box when advancing Francis Aggrey was whacked down by Goldfields’ Kofi Amoako, an incident which led to the booking of the stalwart defender.
Strong defender Ibrahim Yahaya, alias Kwasi Bimba, who went for the kick, took a characteristic bullet which pierced the Goldfields wall, hitting the net with intense power.
Arsenals could not be denied another goal when Michael Acheampong dashed to the left to pick a lose ball and crossed perfectly for Adu Poku to rifle home.
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The goal came in the 72nd minute when a Liberty defender handled the ball in the ‘18’, in the full glare of referee J. B. K Akposu from Hohoe.
