Ten-man Hearts beats Ashgold by a lone goal

Accra, Nov. 21, GNA - A 10-man Accra Hearts of Oak recorded a lone goal victory over Ashgold at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra to reverse two straight defeats at the same venue in the last two weeks. Central defender Saeed Mohamed was sent off in the early part of the second half with about 40 minutes left to play, compelling Hearts to play with a one-man deficit.

Ashgold, who had before the start of the season, snatched the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Cup from Hearts, was determined to pick the three maximum points at stake.

Right from the onset, they piled incessant pressure on the hosts in search of the opener, which never materialized. It was a game the miners could have sealed in the first half, as they were the dominant side, but Hearts stood firm in the face of the threats warding off several attacks.

The closest scoring opportunity on the day fell to Ashgold's Edmund Peprah in the 35th minute from a rebound, after an initial free-kick from Malik Akowuah the hit crossbar. Hearts had their turn in the 44th minute in a similar fashion, when Douglas Nkrumah's free-kick also hit the cross bar, but Theophilus Apoh missed the opportunity thus ending the first half in a deadlock. Ashgold on resumption remained the dominant side benefiting from the most of the exchanges. This was further strengthened by the reduction in the numerical strength of Hearts as early as six minutes of the second half, following the decision of referee William Agbovi to send off Mohamed for a second bookable offence, but the miners failed to take advantage of the situation. Hearts' coach Paa Kwasi Fabian withdrew Nkrumah deep into midfield with Samuel Nzemaba taking up central defensive duties to make up for the shortage in defence.

The approach from Hearts covered their numerical disadvantage, as they battled Ashgold squarely in all departments. Hearts had the opportunity to move ahead in the 70th minute with Uriah Asante rounding off a host of defenders before setting up Abdula Bashiru, but he failed to make a connection.

Hearts lifted up their game in the later stages and succeeded in fetching the opener in the 87th minute through a goalmouth melee, which saw substitute John Antwi directing the ball into the net. Sensing defeat, the miners returned the heat on Hearts but Sammy Adjei was alert to make a superb save of Eugene Prempeh's shot executed from the edge of the vital area in the 90th minute. Hearts held on to the lead during four minutes of added time to ensure they went home with the maximum points at stake.