League Day 13: Hearts keep pace

A 75th minute goal by substitute Bernard Don Bortey powered Accra Hearts of Oak to a one nil victory over Obuasi Goldfields in their match played at the Obuasi Len Clay Stadium. The defeat is the first to be suffered by the miners on their favourite Len Clay stadium while Hearts have succeeded in scaling through 13 matches without tasting a defeat or draw.

The match itself was without any entertaining moments as both teams played as if nothing was at stake. The drabness of the match especially the first half was further worsened by the rains, which set in during most part of the second half.

Goldfields however lifted up their game in the second half but against the run of play Don Bortey who came on for Kenneth Sarpong in the 57th minute scored for his side to throw their numerous supporters into a state of joy.

It was the homesters who wasted the first corner in the 7th minute but Hearts came close to scoring in the 15th minute when Charles Taylor who had a terribly bad day wasted the chance as he blew away a neat cross from Kwame Antwi. In the 35th minute, Hearts won a corner but Edmund Copson who was well positioned for the killer strike wasted the chance. The visitor's goalkeeper, Sammy Adjei thrilled the fans with superb goalkeeping in the 39th minute as he stretched himself to elastic limit to parry a powerful free-kick by Asare Boateng to prevent Goldfields from taking the lead.

Both teams completed their substitution in the second half but that failed to bring bite into the game until Don Bortey brought life into the stadium with his goal. Goldfields made frantic efforts to redeem the goal but their efforts came to nothing.

Kotoko maintain chase

KUMASI Asante Kotoko continued their winning spree by dismissing B.A. United 3-0 in their premier league match played at the Kumasi Stadium yesterday. In spite of the victory, the performance of Kotoko was nothing to write home about as the midfield and attack lacked effective co-operation. Michael Osei managed to open the scores in the 26th minute when he headed home Stephen Oduro’s aerial drive which caught Isaac Amoako in post for BA United flat-footed.

In the 45th minute, Arhin Duah increased the tally for Kotoko following an Oduro pass.

Kotoko scored their third goal in the 84th minute through a penalty kick converted by Godwin Ablordey.

Dawu shock Okwawu with a 3-1 win

Dawu Youngsters, under the technical directorship of coach J. E. A. Sarpong, renowned for saving clubs from relegation, descended heavily on Accra and inflicted a shocking 3-1 defeat to Okwawu United in the 13th week Premier League match played at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday.

The feat, Dawu's first away victory in the league, came by way of a sterling first half performance which saw them race into a three goal lead to the bewilderment of their host who least expected such a performance from a team rooted at the bottom of the league table.

Dawu gave early indications of what they had in store for the home team when as early as the fifth minute, Eric Mbroh dribbled his way into a threatening position only to be brought down by Edward Acquaye for his (Eddie) first booking.

Mbroh was on hand again in the 12 minute, when he eluded the offside trap of Okwawu, beat on-rushing Sherif Adams in post but was selfish as he shot from a very acute angle, instead of laying on a pass, to waste an otherwise brave effort.

Against the run of play, Okwawu nearly took the lead in the 20th minute when Sumaila Iddrisu broke free from the left and fired a shot, which hit the woodwork with the rebound also going wasted. Dawu could however not be denied the opener which eventually did come in the 21st minute through Paul Ofori.

He raced past a flat Okwawu defence and chipped the ball over advancing Adams. The goal spurred Dawu on for more as Okwawu appeared to be stunned by the performance of the bottom-of-the-table team. Chronicle Kwame Amadu increased Dawu's tally in the 29th minute when he shot from an acute angle into the roof of the net to confirm their dominance.

Okwawu reacted to the second goal by bringing on goalkeeper Fatau Dauda and George Tutu for Adams and Kwasi Kyeremanteng in the 30th and 34th minutes respectively. The substitutions could not break Dawu's resolve as they added the third goal in the 38th minute through Ofori. He tapped into the net after Moro Martey had dribbled his way through a host a players to lay the ball on his path.

Okwawu exhausted their substitution in the 45th minute when they brought on Nii Ayi Welbeck for Iddirisu. In the second half, Okwawu reorganised themselves after some verbal abuse from their fans, but in their rush to reduce the goal deficit, became victims of offside traps of Dawu on numerous occasions.

The home team's task was made even harder in the 65th minute when Acquaye was given the matching off order for a second bookable offence for bringing down an Okwawu striker. Referee J. McCarthy, crowned his day of questionable decisions in the 70th minute a dubious penalty. He awarded a penalty kick to Okwawu after mistaking goalkeeper Sumaila Abdulla's beautiful save to be an offence on Okwawu a striker. Tutu later converted the kick for the consolation goal.

RTU in gallant win over Liberty

Real Tamale United (RTU) put up a brave fight to collect the maximum three points from visiting Liberty Professionals when they beat them 2-1 in their premiere league match at Bolgatanga on Sunday.

The uncompromising match watched by a large crowd saw the visitors taking a fifth minute lead through Ablade Morgan when he exploited a defensive lapse and put the ball in the net of RTU.

Shocked by the early goal RTU however, managed to warm themselves into the game and initiated several raids in the goal area of the visitors. In the 10th minute, Mawe Mohammed nearly put them at par but his intelligent lob missed the target narrowly. Three minutes later, he atoned for his earlier misses when he neatly connected a pass from Hamza Mohammed to put the scores at one all. The goal gave them a new spirit to fight for more but neither they nor the Liberty boys were able to score again before half time.

Back from recess, Liberty redoubled their efforts but found the defence of the homeboys hard to break even though they were in control. As the match was heading for a draw, the RTU boys resorted to long balls which paid off as Hamza Mohammed received one such ball, run through the Liberty defence to deliver a killer which turned out to be the match winner in the 72nd minute.

At Prestea, Mine Stars thrashed visiting Maxbees 3-0 in their premier league match played yesterday. Mine Stars’ top marksman Abdul Samad Okotcha snatched two quick goals for his side within the first 10 minutes of the game while George Biara got the other in the second half.

• The 13th week premier league match between Bofoakwa Tano and visiting king Faisal started on a dramatic note when both teams started with 10 men each while the remaining two players joined their clubs five minutes into the game, reports Samuel Kyei-Boateng. The match ended 1-1. Bofoakwa opened the scoring in the 15th minute through Kwadwo Opoku and held on to the thin lead until half-time before King Faisal equalised in the 79th minute through Ishak Debrah.

• Sekondi Hasaacas descended heavily on Power FC and stunned them by 2-0 in their premier league encounter played at the Koforidua Stadium yesterday, reports Samuel K. Yirenkyi. Before the homesters could settle, Kofi Abbrey-led Hasaacas scored the first goal in the 10th minute of the game when Kingsley Kwarteng took a solo run down the right flank through the Power defenders to send the ball past Eric Ampayah in post for the homesters. In the second half, Hasaacas increased the tempo of their game and secured the second goal in the 51st minute through Muntari Saliu when he sent a teasing one to the top right corner of the post, giving the Power goalie no chance at all.

• Berekum Arsenals yesterday held Great Olympics to a nail-biting 1-1 drawn game in their premier league clash played on a soggy pitch at the Accra Stadium following a heavy downpour, reports K. Agyei-Boahene. Olympics, who looked very promising in the early minutes of the game, wasted their first opportunity when Joseph Tagoe chipped Amui Quaye’s pass in the Arsenals vital area over the crossbar in the sixth minute. Arsenals, however, broke the deadlock in the 10th minute through George Eranio when he capitalised on a defensive blunder by the homesters to shoot feebly into an empty net.

Olympics, despite finding play difficult, managed to snatch the equaliser in the 80th minute through Andy Pomeyie when his powerful right footer beat goalkeeper Justice Quarcoo who, until the goal, was the pillar of Arsenals defence.

Excitement in the game began to wane midway in the first half when the rains bucketed down, thus raising questions about the nature of the stadium, a venue for CAN 2000.

Kotoko 3-0 B/A United
Goldfields 0-1 Hearts
Power FC 0-2 Hasaacas
RTU 2-1 Liberty
Bofoakwa 1-0 King Faisal
Olympics 1-1 Arsenal
Mines Stars 0-0 Maxbees
Okwawu United 1-3 Dawu