Today in Sports History: Hearts of Oak crowned GPL league champions

Exactly 21 years ago today, Accra Hearts of Oak crowned their Premier League title with an emphatic 2-0 victory over a 10-man Asante Kotoko in their final 1999 ABC Golden Lager Premier soccer league match played at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Emmanuel Kuffour and Ishmael Addo scored for the Phobians in the 74th and 85th minutes respectively to shatter Kotoko’s hopes of placing second for qualification to represent Ghana in the CAF Cup the following year.

Asante Kotoko, who looked very determined right from the onset, came close in the fourth minute but Prince Adu-Poku failed to nod home Godwin Ablordey’s beautiful cross. Hearts repulsed the attack immediately and nearly found the opener through Joe Fameyeh but his scissors’ kick from Emmanuel Yartey’s pass missed the target.

From then on, the tension-packed match degenerated into rough play and Kotoko’s Gabriel Opoku-Ware was the first to be booked by FIFA referee Alex Quartey for fouling Hearts’ Addo in the eleventh minute. Two minutes later, the “Kum Apem” boys were reduced to 10 men after Kalilu Dramani received the marching orders when he kicked Hearts’ Charles Allotey in the face after the referee had whistled for an infringement in Kotoko’s favor.

The Phobians capitalized on their numerical advantage and started raiding the visitors goal area from all angles but the Kotoko defence pivoted around Frank Atsou, Samuel Bakai and Opoku-Ware managed to hold them in check. In the 32nd minute, Kotoko’s Baba Armando had all the opportunity under the sun to score the opener when he received a through pass from Ablordey but he wasted too much time and allowed the Hearts defence to recover and clear the ball from the danger zone, ending the first half scoreless.

Hearts came back from the break and wasted a 53rd minute chance when a free-kick taken by Fameyeh missed the target narrowly. Undaunted Phobians maintained the pressure but Kotoko’s Atsou was always around to keep them at bay. In the 67th minute, Kotoko pulled out Kofi Owusu for Awudu Adama and Hearts brought on Osmanu Amadu for Fameyeh in the 71st minute.

Hearts shot into the lead three minutes later through a header by Kuffour after goalkeeper Michael Abu of Kotoko had punched Addo’s shot into his path. Abu, however, rose to the occasion in the 77th minute when he pulled off a brilliant save from Yartey’s powerful shot. A minute later, the Porcupine Warriors had no option but to replace their dependable defender, Atsou with Amadu Tanko because of injury.

Kotoko bounced back strongly into the game and came close on two occasions but Hearts’ Amankwah Mireku cleared Nicholas Addo’s header off the line in the 80th minute while goalkeeper James Nanor saved Ablordey’s shot in the 84th minute. But with four minutes left to go, the Kotoko defence were caught napping as Yartey sneaked through to pass the ball to Addo who sent a curling shot beyond the reach of goalkeeper Abu to seal the doom of Kotoko.

Elsewhere;

Exactly 21 years ago today, Manchester United’s long unbeaten record came to a sudden end as Chelsea sensationally crushed the champions 5-0 in a bad-tempered match at Stamford Bridge.

It was the first Premiership match United had lost since they went down 3-1 to Middlesbrough the previous December – a run of 29 games without defeat.

Chelsea, inspired by a two-goal effort from Gustavo Poyet, were in stunning form and they made a mockery of the visitors’ status as runaway title favourites.

United played most of the match with just 10 men, after Nicky Butt was sent off for a act of sheer petulance.

But the red card could hardly be said to have changed the game – as by that stage Chelsea were already 2-0 up after an amazing start that had seen them take the lead straight from the kick-off.

Indeed so impressive was the Blues’ demolition act that the last 30 minutes resembled a training match, as by then they were four goals up and destined for victory.

Seconds away

Poyet got the game off to a sensational start with a goal after just 27 seconds.

United’s New goalkeeper Massimo Taibi made his second howler in successive games.

Straight from the kick-off Dan Petrescu sent a cross into the United area. And when Taibi, who let a Matthew Le Tissier shot slip through his legs against Southampton the previous week, stormed off his line and collided with his own team-mate Dennis Irwin, Poyet was able to head into an open net.

United’s hold on their unbeaten record began to look even shakier in the 16th minute when Chris Sutton scored his first Premiership goal for Chelsea.

The second goal was a near replica of the first – barring the goalkeeping blunder.

This time it was Albert Ferrer who hoisted the cross from the right and Sutton stretched to direct a superb looping header over Taibi and into the far corner.

Butt blows it

Butt was sent off in farcical fashion in the 23rd minute.

Denis Wise clattered into the midfielder and sent him crashing to the ground.

Butt did not react immediately and instead lay prone on the floor. But as soon as the referee had come up to the pair he suddenly decided to kick out at Wise – right under the official’s nose.

The inevitable sending off – and yellow card for Wise – sparked ugly clashes between the two teams, with furious United players appearing to accuse Wise of making the most of the incident.

United were now smarting and they almost pulled a goal back when Ed de Goey saved well from Paul Scholes.

But tempers were never far from boiling point and Scholes kicked out at Sutton after another clash – although thankfully for the United man, the referee missed it.

Chelsea began to make the most of their numerical superiority and Sutton headed just wide from an almost identical Ferrer cross.

Double blow

United were desperate to force their way onto the scoresheet at the start of the second half.

But instead it was Poyet who claimed the goal that effectively settled the contest in Chelsea’s favour in the 55th minute.

The goal came from a well-worked free-kick. With United expecting a high ball into the area, Frank Leboeuf linked well with Celestine Babayaro – and when Taibi did well to save Leboeuf’s shot, Poyet was on hand to slam the rebound home.

It became even more embarrassing for United two minutes later – and this time the wound was self-inflicted.

Gianfranco Zola waltzed down the right flank and played a low ball into the area. With Sutton racing in at the far post, Henning Berg stuck out a foot in desperation and turned the ball into his own net.

It was the 16th own goal in the Premiership so far in a remarkable season for such errors.

The impressive Petrescu nearly made it 5-0 – but Taibi at last made amends for his earlier mistake by tipping his lob over the bar.

Ten minutes from time the United defence was ripped apart again. Graeme Le Saux played in fellow substitute Jody Morris, who placed a sharp shot between the legs of the hapless Taibi.

The fifth goal put the gloss on a famous win for Chelsea – while defeat saw United tumble from the top of the table, as Leeds took over as leaders.

Chelsea Line-up : Fe Goey, Ferrer, Hogh, Leboeuf, Babayaro, Petrescu, Wise, Deschamps, Poyet, Sutton, Zola. Subs: Le Saux, Flo, Morris, Lambourde, Cudicini.

Man Utd Line-up: Taibi, Irwin, Berg, Stam, Silvestre, Beckham, Butt, Scholes, Neville, Yorke, Cole. Subs: Sheringham, Solskjaer, Clegg, Wilson, Van Der Gouw.

Referee: D Gallagher (Banbury)

Exactly 8 years ago today, Super Star Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first Champions League hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 4-1 win against Ajax in Amsterdam.