League Day 10

Kotoko thrash Arsenals

Fabulous Kumasi Asante Kotoko shattered the home invincibility of Berekum Arsenals when they defeated them 3-1 in their 10th week tension-match played at the Berekum Coronation Park on Sunday.

Fast-improving Frank Osei scored two beautiful goals to put Kotoko in a comfortable 2-0 lead at half time in a match which saw some nasty incidents including the prevention of some newsmen from covering the match. Osei opened the scores in the first minute of the game when he connected home a well-taken cornerkick by Stephen Oduro. Frank Osei increased the tally to two in the 18th minute with a classic goal when he connected a non-drop pass from Nana Frimpong.

Arsenals had to play for pretty 58 minutes with 10 men as rugged Ibrahim Yahaya was shown the red card for fouling Kotoko’s Michael Osei in the 32nd minute. Earlier in the fourth minute, man-of-the-match Francis Bossman was booked for fouling Kotoko’s Nana Frimpong.

Arsenals made three changes in the first half with a view to reducing the tally but to no avail. Kotoko also replaced Michael Osei and Nana Frimpong with Anas Mohammed and Shilla Alhassan respectively at the beginning of the second half. Despite their numerous disadvantage, Arsenals dominated play in the second half and managed to reduce the tally to 2-1 in the 59th minute through Richard Awuah.

A minute later, substitute Alhassan increased the tally to 3-1 for Kotoko when he beautifully headed home a cornerkick. Arsenals redoubled their efforts in the second half, attacking from all angles but could not beat agile goalie Osei Boateng. Okwawu sink Bofoakwa in Accra Accra (Greater Accra) 03 June 2002 - Ever improving Okwawu United, bounced back from a painful lone goal defeat to Asante Kotoko in their last league match to beat visiting Tano Bofoakwa 2-0 in their 10th week Premier League match played at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday.

Okwawu made their intentions of winning all the points at stake right from the start, and dominated the early proceedings creating some openings in the Bofoakwa defence. The first goal came as a matter of course in the 12 minute through Osei Bonsu who applied his head to a well-taken cornerkick to put the ball beyond goalkeeper Mohammed Alhassan in post for the Sunyani lads.

The early goal whetted Okwawu's appetite for more, as they pushed forward and came close to increasing the tally in the 30th minute through a Nii Ayi Welberk freekick, which missed the post narrowly. Bofoakwa then employed a very physical approach to frustrate the Okwawu's attackers and this brought out Referee Nii Ayi Vanderpujie’s yellow card on Kwaku Duah and Kwame Asiedu in the 36th and 40th minutes for rough play.

Daniel Babayara also failed with a half chance to make it double for the soccer mountaineers when he ballooned a rebound over the bar after goalkeeper Alhassan pushed the player's first time shot back to him. On resumption, Bofoakwa put in more effort and made in rolls into Okwawu's area but poor shooting kept the score line in the home team's favour.

As Bofoakwa probed for the equaliser, Okwawu stunned them with the second goal in the 67th minute when Babayara scrambled in a lose ball taken from the corner spot.

Hearts survive at Dawu’s scare with a 2-1 win

Dawu (Eastern Region) 03 June 2002 - Dawu Youngsters put up one of their best performances before their home crowd but suffered their first home defeat in the 10-week old Premier League when they lost 2-1 to defending Champions Accra Hearts of Oak in their premiere league match played the Dawu on Sunday. By this victory, Hearts have made it ten victories in as many matches.

Hearts took the lead in the 14th minute through Charles Taylor whose freekick just outside the centre circle zoomed into the net for the opener. Dawu accepted the challenge and launched a raid in the Hearts area which went rewarded in the 19th minute when Paul Ofori headed home a tailor-measured cross from team-mate Ian Acquah.

The match become balanced, with Hearts nearly going ahead in the 33rd and 34th minutes but Taylor and Wisdom Abbey wasted the chances. The Phobians made it two in 76th minute through Charles Allotey whose long drive from the centre circle beat goalkeeper Anthony who had come off his goal line.

Hasaacas beat Mine Stars to pick three points

Sekondi (Western Region) 03 June 2002 - Visiting Prestea Mine Stars 1-0 in their match played at the Sekondi Gyandu Park. The only goal of the match was scored in the 72nd minute by Charles Asamoah when he connected home a pass from veteran Kofi Abbrey who did all the spadework.

The goal came after fruitless attempts by both sides to find the net during the well-contested match. Before that, Hasaacas were dominating the match while Mine Stars also did their best to contain the home side. Hasaacas played a good game and were in possession of the ball most of the time as the game was mainly concentrated on Mine Stars half.

Mine Stars tried as much as possible to match the performance of their opponents but the going became so tough that as many as five players from both sides were carried off the field for minor injuries in the first half.

‘Wonder’ Olympics registers massive home victory

Wonder Club, Accra Great Olympics fought back from a goal down to beat visiting Power F/C 3-1 in their 10th week league match played at the Accra Sports Stadium.

It was a day destined for the Dade boys who pressed their opponents from the start of the match with short passes in the midfield, which gave the defence of Power several anxious moments. Forced to play on the defensive, Power adopted a very physical approach to the game and the earned a yellow card in the 16th minute when Obeng Twumesi heavily brought down an Olympics attacker. Olympics came close to the first goal in the 20th minute when a brilliant volley from Andrew Pomaney beat stranded goalkeeper Sani Mohammed but the goal post came to the rescue of Power. Against the run of play Power stunned Olympics with the first goal in the 25th minute through Dennis Odoom's low drive from the edge of the box which beat fully stretched David Sharpe to silence the few supporters of the home team.

Olympics, after going down, brought on impressive Joe Tagoe for Jude Dike as Power sat back and were content to playing on the break. With two minutes to the end of the first half, Olympics found the equaliser through Pomaney who rose above the Power defence to direct a Winfred Dormon’s cross beyond the reach of Mohammed.

Olympics continued their dominance in the second half and in the 53rd minute took the lead when Tagoe's looping header beat Power goalie Mohammed who injured himself in an attempt to stop the ball and was substituted by Fred Mills.

Olympics had another opportunity to make it three when Power’s Michael Odonkor handballed in the box in the 61st minute but skipper Amui Quaye surprised everyone and himself he blasted a hard one away from target. But with about five minutes remaining skipper Quaye made amends when he finished off a beautifully a two-man play between him and substitute Sumaila Iddrisu to fetch the ‘Dade Boys’ third goal. The goal was Quaye’s sixth in the season, tying him with Hearts’ Charles Taylor, on top of the goalking chart.

Liberty secures away victory over Maxbees

Liberty Professionals beat Suhum-based Maxbees Football Club by a lone goal in their encounter at Koforidua.

Inside left, Ablade Morgan who tormented their opponents for most of the game secured the three points for his team in the 50th minute when he whisked a rebound from Maxbees goalkeeper Jafaaru Issah into the net in the 18th minute.

Both teams wasted clear chances by the 8th minute when their attackers squandered begging chances at each other's goalmouth and allowed the goalkeepers to scoop the balls. Despite two changes on both sides, the pattern of the game did not change much as the visitors became more purposeful than their hosts giving Referee C.S. Tetteh from Mampong-Ashanti less work to do except the flashing of yellows.

Goldfields fall to Faisal in Kumasi

Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 03 June 2002 - Kumasi King Faisal played an exciting game to beat visiting Goldfields 2-0 in their match played at the Kumasi Sports Stadium. The home team scored their first goal in the 16th minute through Ben Wilson and substitute Kwabena Boateng netted the second in the 88th minute.

It was a match in which Goldfields could have managed a draw but poor marksmanship by their attacking line robbed them the opportunity. King Faisal kicked off but lost the ball to Goldfields who looked more purposeful during the initial stages of the exchanges and Eric Boakye should have fired the first salvo in the 11th minute but moments of hesitation gave the miers defence a chance to recover.

King Faisal shrugged off the early threat, but could not find the net until the 16th minute when Wilson blasted home the opener.Goldfields brought on Issa Rahman for Anthony Baffoe in the 25th minute to strengthen their defence but the player, in the 23rd minutes blasted away a free kick. Kwabena Boateng who had a terrible afternoon atoned for his earlier misses with a perfect finish for King Faisal in the 88th minute.

B.A. United beat RTU

Sunyani-based B.A. United exerted every sinew in them before being able to win 2-1 over visiting Real Tamale United (RTU) in their league match played at the Sunyani Coronation Park. Half time score was 1-1. Despite the scoreline RTU gave the home team a stiff opposition for most part of the game, but luck eluded them. After FIFA referee J. Wellington of Accra had signalled for the commencement of the game RTU wasted no time to take control of affairs. Philip Amoako, Hamza Mohammed, Ibrahim Mugu, Kwame Acheampong combining effectively in the early minutes gave indications that they were in to give their opponents stiff opposition. It was not surprising that in the fourth minute Kwame Acheampong shocked the homesters with a shot that went through a forest of legs and past goalkeeper Mobideen of B.A. to give his side an early lead. Sensing danger the home team counter-attacked but wasted a good chance to score in the seventh minute. RTU, making use of a broken midfield area of B.A United piled pressure on their opponents but their defence proved stubborn. Against the run of play, Addai Owusu levelled matters up for B.A. when he ran fast to head a cross from the right-flank, which first hit the upright before deflecting into the net.

In the 37th minute B.A nearly had their second goal but Isaac Asare's close-rang shot missed narrowly. Just before the end of the first half Ibrahim Mugu of RTU with an empty net, shot over the bar to the relieve of goalkeeper Emmanuel Sekyi of RTU.

Both teams made changes in the second half with B.A replacing injured Billa Moaba with Frank Adjei while Faisel Sulemanu also came in as a substitute for RTU. But it was B.A who gained advantage of the substitutions as Lawrence Kainya, after wasting several chances finally scored in the 63rd minute to enable his side win 2-1.

Dawu 1 Hearts 2
Arsenal 1 Kotoko 3
BA United 2-1 Real Temale United
Maxbees 1-0 Liberty
Power F/C 1-3 Olympics
Okwahu United 2-0 Bofoakwa (played on Saturday)
Hasaacas 1-0 Mine Stars
King Faisal 2-0 Goldfields