League leaders Asante Kotoko defeated rivals Hearts of Oak 1-0 on match day 24 of the Ghana Premier League at the Baba Yara Sports stadium.
Franck Etouga Mbella scored the only goal of the match in the 16th minute to give the Porcupines a 16-point lead over the defending champions on the league table.
Watch highlights of the game below;
Hearts of Oak Coach Samuel Boadu has turned his focus to ensuring the Phobians achieve a Top 4 finish in the Ghana Premier League after their hopes of a title defence was dealt a serious blow on Sunday.
Hearts of Oak’s painful 0-1 loss to leaders Asante Kotoko in Kumasi, means the points gap between the two rivals has now stretched to 16, with ten games to end the season.
With a GPL title defence highly unlikely, Coach Boadu is now targeting a Top 4 finish and a retention of the MTN FA Cup crown.
“We are still competing for the FA Cup title defence but we are making sure Hearts of Oak will be part of the Top 4. With the FA Cup, we are just hoping for fair officiating so we know which club is the better team,” Boadu told Startimes in a post-match interview.
Holders Hearts of Oak play as guests of Skyy FC in an MTN FA Cup quarter final clash at the El Wak Stadium on Thursday, April 14.
Hearts of Oak Board member Dr. Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe has questioned the integrity of Referee Kennedy Padi following his decision to award Asante Kotoko a controversial penalty in the Ghana Premier League match-day 24 fixture in Kumasi on Sunday.
Referee Padi pointed to the penalty spot in the 16th minute after Hearts midfielder Abdul Aziz Nurudeen obstructed Kotoko’s Fabio Gama with a left footed tackle that forced the Brazilian to go to ground.
Padi’s penalty decision has sparked a heated debate among fans, with Phobians insisting it was a soft penalty and should not have been awarded.
“The referee today was very useless. If this is the level of officiating we are going to witness from our referees, we will call for foreign referees to games like this. There was no penalty there to take,” Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe, an ex-GFA Boss, said on Angel FM.
After blowing the final whistle, Referee Padi had to be given Police escort back to the dressing room to avoid any possible confrontations from Hearts of Oak officials.
A penalty kick converted in injury time by Maxwell Abbey-Quaye on Sunday afternoon sealed a 2-1 win for Great Olympics in the tough contest against Aduana Stars.
The capital-based outfit today hosted the title-chasing side from Dormaa at the Accra Sports Stadium.
In a game serving as a matchday 24 encounter of the Ghana Premier League season, Aduana Stars took the lead after just 13 minutes when Kwame Adom Frimpong equalized with a fine effort.
Through the resilient display of Great Olympics, the team scored in the 30th minute courtesy of a strike from Iddrisu Murad to restore parity.
In dramatic fashion, the home team scored in injury time of the second half to win the game.
To the disappointment of the visitors, the goal came when Great Olympics were awarded a penalty kick.
Abbey-Quaye stepped up and scored to secure all three points for the Oly Dade boys.
Per today’s results, Great Olympics have now climbed to 4th on the Ghana Premier League table with Aduana Stars dropping to 5th on the log.
League leaders Asante Kotoko defeated rivals Hearts of Oak 1-0 on match day 24 of the Ghana Premier League at the Baba Yara Sports stadium.
Franck Etouga Mbella scored the only goal of the match in the 16th minute to give the Porcupines a 16-point lead over the defending champions on the league table.
Kotoko dominated proceedings in the early stages of the game – threatened the Hearts defence only to be denied Richmond Ayi.
Fabio Gama powered a drive from outside the 18 yards which was saved by Ayi once again in the 34th minute from a beautiful solo run.
Back from recess, Georges Mfegue got a chance to put Kotoko in a 2-0 lead but his effort was ruled offside.
Despite pressure from Hearts to find the equalizer, Kotoko held on to the win their first match against their rivals since 2012.
Asante Kotoko have now picked 52 points after on the league table after this win.
Asante Kotoko will host arch-rivals Hearts of Oak at the Baba Yara Stadium this afternoon in the Ghana Premier League matchweek 24 fixture.
The biggest game on the Ghanaian soil always come along with magnificent scenes with supporters filling the stadium to the brim.
The Porcupines are in some phenomenal form and would want to build on their last game in the league where they inflicted 1-0 defeat to King Faisal at the Baba Yara Stadium.
The last time the two teams met at the Accra Sports Stadium, it ended in a 0-0 in a matchweek 7 outstanding fixture.
Here, We look at how Prosper Narteh Ogum could set his side up for the blockbuster contest in a 4-1-2-3, a slightly defensive version of 4-3-3 formation.
Danlad Ibrahim is gradually staking his claim in this Kotoko side. He showed a great command in the box since the departure of Razak Abalora. His inclusion is a no-brainer.
In the absence of Abdul Ganiyu, Maxwell Agyemang is expected to partner Yusif Mubarik should Justice Blay fail to pass a late fitness test in the central defense role.
Christopher Nettey who has been excellent in the club’s last two games is expected to start ahead of Augustine Agyapong and Ibrahim Imoro should continue to feature as the left-back.
Sheriff Mohammed has done an excellent job for the Reds so far this season and is expected to sit in front of the back four with Mudasiru Salifu and Richard Boadu playing ahead of him.
Fabio Gama and Georges Mfegue could line up on the wings with Mbella Etouga leading the attack.
Kotoko Possible Line Up: Danlad Ibrahim (GK), Chris Nettey, Imoro Ibrahim, Maxwell Agyemang/Blay, Yusif Mubarik, Sheriff Mohammed, Fabio Gama, Mudasiru Salifu, Mbella Etouga, Richard Boadu, Georges Mfegue.
The Ghana FA has entreated football clubs in the country to avoid night trips.
This advise follows a robbery attack on the team bus of Women’s Premier League outfit FC Savannah Ladies, which left one club official identified as the team Physiotherapist injured.
FC Savannah Ladies were travelling to Kumasi for a WPL match on Saturday, when bandits raided their team bus on the Tamale-Kumasi highway at about 1.00am and bolted away with undisclosed sums of money and other valuables.
This highway robbery incident comes just 20 days after Ghana Premier League club AshantiGold SC suffered a similar fate at the hands of bandits when they opted to embark on a night trip to Kumasi following their GPL match-day 20 fixture against Hearts of Oak in Accra on March 20.
Asides the poor security situation on major highways in Ghana at night, concerns regarding the poor vision of drivers during nocturnal journeys was raised by fans 5 years ago, when the Asante Kotoko team bus was involved in an accident at Nkawkaw after choosing to travel to Kumasi at night-time following a league match against Inter Allies.
A statement released by GFA on the latest bus attack of FC Savannah Ladies reads, “Traveling clubs are hereby advised to avoid night travels, and where required engage the security services or seek security advice before making trips.”
The WPL club has confirmed that no player sustained injuries, signalling their readiness to honor the Women’s Premier League match-day 14 fixture on Sunday at 10:00m in Bantama, after the game was rescheduled by the GFA.
The GFA has promised to engage the Ghana Police Service on providing adequate security support to teams when they travel across the country.
Defending champions Heart of Oak trek to Kumasi to take on league leaders Asante Kotoko in the 2021-2022 Ghana Premier League at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Ahead of the biggest rivalry game between the two Ghanaian giants, the probable formation and lineup that Hearts of Oak could use against Kotoko can be found below:
Goalkeeper
Hearts’ keeper for the day will be Richard Attah after returning from his injury he suffered against Aduana Stars few weeks ago.
Defenders
Impressive Mohammed Alhassan will play along side Caleb Amankwaah as centre back, together with Captain Fatawu Mohammed on the right and the newly signed Dennis Korsah on the left.
Midfielders
Highly-rated Gladson Awako will be joined by Nurudeen Aziz and Salim Adams in the midfield.
Strikers
In the absence of talented Ibrahim Salifu, Hearts will be led by lanky striker Kojo Obeng Junior together with Afriyie Barnie and Isaac Mensah.
Formation
4-3-2-1
Richard Attah, Fatawu Mohammed, Dennis Korsah, Mohammed Alhassan, Caleb Amankwaah, Nurudeen Aziz, Salim Adams, Gladson Awako, Afriyie Barnieh, Isaac Mensah, Kojo Obeng Junior.
Asante Kotoko aim to stretch their lead over fierce rivals Hearts of Oak to 16 points as they take on the Phobians at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Sunday.
Samuel Boadu’s side on the other hand will be looking to maintain their unbeaten record against the Porcupine Warriors this season.
Both teams have enjoyed unparalleled success on the local scene, winning 45 titles between them since the league’s formation in the 1950s.
The fixture, which has earned the nickname ‘Super Clash’, has kept fans entertained with goals, skills, drama, and impressive football over the years.
Road to the Super Clash
Asante Kotoko are going into the match on the back of a 1-0 win over local rivals King Faisal last weekend, breaking a previous two-game losing streak against the Insha Allah boys.
The Porcupine Warriors have been dominant this campaign, taking the top spot with 49 points, eight more than second-placed Bechem United.
Hearts of Oak, on the other hand, started slowly but have moved into the top six with a series of positive results over the last few games.
The Phobians came out victors in a tight battle with Medeama SC last weekend, winning 1-0 thanks to Isaac Mensah’s second-half header.
What the coaches think
Kotoko
Kotoko’s head coach Prosper Narteh has expressed concern ahead of the Super Clash due to the multiple injuries dealt to the players, forcing him to play some of his men out of position.
“My worry is the injury situation in the team, there are so many of them which is not good and if you go into a big game, the “El Classico” of Ghana and you are having several of your players injured, it’s not the best.”
“But that’s what I have, all that I have to do is to manage them at training, make sure the medical team do their best to make sure that they get them somehow 70% fit for the game.”
Hearts of Oak
Hearts of Oak’s head coach Samuel Boadu has stated that he will prepare his side thoroughly for Kotoko and added that the winner will be decided on the pitch.
“What I can say is we will prepare well. Concerning today’s game, we were down a bit but we need to come up ahead of the Kotoko game. Is about preparation and we will prepare well. But then, the footwork will decide and the end of the day will determine the better side.”
Team News
Prosper Narteh Ogum will be without several players who are injured ahead of the crunch tie whilst Samuel Boadu can call upon Richard Attah who has made a return from injury.
Kotoko predicted starting XI: Danlad, Nettey, Mubarik, Imoro, Mohammed, Blay, Boadu, Mudasiru, Gama, Mfegue, Etouga
Hearts predicted starting XI: Attah, Fatawu, Korsah, Amankwah, Alhassan, Ushau, Awako, Boateng, Obeng Jnr, Mensah, Barnieh
Head-to-head
Since 2006, the two teams have battled on 27 occasions in the Ghana Premier League with Hearts of Oak winning 10 games whilst Kotoko have won seven. 10 draws have been recorded during that period.
The Phobians have lost just one of their last 13 away games against Kotoko, winning six in the process.
This season, Samuel Boadu’s side are unbeaten against the Porcupine Warriors in two games, drawing 0-0 in February and winning 2-1 at the President’s cup in March.
Prediction
This game has been well balanced in the last few attempts and the story will be no different on Sunday. Both teams will cancel each other out in every department.
Kotoko 1-1 Hearts of Oak
Kick-off time
The game will begin at 3 p.m. (15:00 GMT).
It was originally scheduled for 6 p.m. (18:00 GMT) but changed due to recommendations from the Ghana Police Service.
By: Bill Eshun/3Sports
One of Ghana's finest Sports Journalist, Dennis Mirpuri has joined your accurate and precise football news portal, footy.ghpush.com/
The ex-Joy FM and Starr FM sports broadcaster can be described as one of the best journalists who has been consistent with excellent performances as a broadcast journalist.
With over a decade of experience in journalism, Dennis Mirpuri is cherished by many for his unique style of writing and presentations.
Mirpuri is back to writing about the sport he likes after taking a break a few years ago.
He will be serving our dearest readers with some insightful articles after joining the team on Saturday, April 9, 2022.
The former GhOne TV employee launched his career as a radio presenter on Vibe FM in 2001 and has gone on to achieve many successes in the industry.
Mirpuri is a former member of the Ghana Football Association Media Committee.
He has also had stints with Pravda Radio and Live FM. However, he is currently not attached to any radio station as he is concentrating on a personal business.