Accra, Sept. 9, GNA - Kpando Heart of Lions on Wednesday recorded an off season treble over Kumasi Asante Kotoko with a 2-1 victory in the first match of the second round of the MTN Top Four tournament at the Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra.

Lions, prior to the start of the competition defeated Kotoko 2-0 to win the 2009 Sports Writers Association of Ghana, (SWAG) Cup, after which they secured a lone goal win in the first round match of the Top Four Tournament all at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.

The victory has thus confirmed the recent superiority of Lions over Kotoko and placed them in a pole position to win the tournament, whilst worsening the plight of Kotoko who are yet to record a win in the four-club competition.

Lions, leaders on the table with four wins, demonstrated their intention to keep a clean record right from the start of the game by creating goal scoring chances with the clearest falling on the path of Kofi Nti Boakye, after a miscommunication between goalkeeper Isaac Amoako and his central defensive pair.

Nti Boakye was however unable to make use of the opportunity in the 13th minute but he atoned for his mistake in the 26th minute when he sidestepped Joseph Jackson's cross into the net for the opener. Lions maintained the pressure on the whipping boys of the tournament for the next ten minutes after the goal, with Kotoko coming in strongly in the last 10 minutes of the game in an effort to redeem their image.

Their efforts were not enough to cancel the lead and saw their fans pelting the players with bagged water after the first half to express their dissatisfaction with their performance.

Kotoko returned into the second half with a slight improvement on their performance, but the lads from Kpando remained the dominant side and nearly increased the tally in the 49th minute when Tagoe who had only keeper Amoako to beat failed to convert the chance. Even though Kotoko also came closer to equalizing on some few occasions, the efforts of Stephen Manu, substitute Louis Agyeman and Alex Asamoah was not up to the task as they were unable to break the defensive barrier of Lions with John Kuffour as the pillar. It was Lions who instead returned the heat on the 'Porcupine Warriors' and increased the tally in the 66th minute through substitute Daniel Acquaye when his cross from a corner kick was headed home by a hard pressed Kotoko defender.

Kotoko managed to get a consolation goal through Manu's 81st minute header from a Jordan Opoku's cross. The goal served as a source of motivation for Kotoko to secure a face saving draw but Lions stood firm to maintain their 100 percent record in the competition.