Kumasi Asante Kotoko football club of Ghana pipped the Hawks, the Togolese national team by two goals to one in an international friendly match played at the Accra sports Stadium on Sunday.

The Togolese kicked off and created the first opportunity to score but Salifu Mustapha hooked the ball wide from an incisive pass by Yadibaoma Espoir. Kotoko replied in the fourth minute with a beautiful move but the final touch from Abedi Sarfo was too weak to worry Hadouni Abdulrain in goal for the Hawks.

In the seventh minute, Dare Didier in the centre of the Togolese defence blundered and gifted Michal Osei a chance to shoot Kotoko ahead, but he froze in front of goal and gave up possession to a feeble challenge. From the 10th minute, Kotoko began to dominate the game as they strung passes around but lacked attacking options to penetrate the Togolese defence.

Skipper Godwin Ablordey fluffed another chance for Kottoko in the 20th minute, when he shot wide after being set up by Michael Osei. Hadoui brought the spectators to their feet in the 28th minute with a fantastic save of a thunderbolt from Lawrence Adjei.

The stadium went dead quiet in the 32nd minute when Espoir waltzed his way through Kotoko's defence and drilled a shot against the left post and Bawa Yewuza tucked in the rebound. FIFA referee Alex Quartey disallowed it as offside positioning.

In the second half, Kotoko continued with their flowing football but they found the Togolese defence too tight. On the other side, ex Goaldfields star, Noutsudji Kossi was becoming, a threat any time, he had the ball. In the 49 and 52nd minutes Kossi wove through the Kotoko defence with superb footwork, but his effort was thwarted by the alertness of Osei Boateng in goal for Kotoko.

Kotoko returned the challenge but the closest they got to was the cross bar, when Lawrence Adjei cracked a fierce shot against it, in the 55th minute. Adjei drew deafening cheers from the crowd a minute later with the first goal of the match. He sneaked through an offside trap by the Togolese and kicked the ball in, beyond the reach of Hadoui. Kotoko had another good opportunity to increase the tally but substitute Osei Kwame hammered the ball against the woodwork.

The Togolese managed to contain the intense pressure mounted by Kotoko and surprised the Porcupine Warriors in the 87th minute, with the equaliser. Espore was set up, after Kossi had side stepped two defenders and swung the ball to newcomer Ametepe Medanu in the centre, who flicked it to the right flank.

Espore pounced on the ball and sped past Kotoko's back line and drove a powerful curling shot past Osei Boateng. The match took a dramatic turn as the jubilation of the visitors was short lived a minute later, when Osei Kwame restored Kotoko's lead. Lawrence Adjei sent in a feeble cross from the right flank, but goalkeeper Hadoui fumbled with it and Osei Kwame slammed it in for the second goal for Kotoko.