2022/23 GPL: I take responsibility for heavy defeat against Karela United - David Ocloo

Hearts of Oak assistant coach, David Ocloo, has taken full responsibility for his team's heavy 3-0 defeat against Karela United in the Ghana Premier League on Saturday.

The Phobians fell behind in the 17th minute when Emmanuel Boakye Owusu scored for Karela. The situation worsened for Hearts of Oak when Konadu Yiadom inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, giving Karela a two-goal lead in the 32nd minute.

Just before halftime, Rashid Okine was shown a straight red card, leaving Hearts with 10 men for the remainder of the match. Richard Berko sealed the victory for Karela with a goal in the 87th minute, adding to Hearts' misery.

Speaking to StarTimes after the match, Ocloo admitted that his team had a bad day at the office, and acknowledged that their defensive lapses cost them the match.

"It’s a bad day, it’s a bad day but I think we didn’t play badly but defensively we were poor today," he said. "Because you give your opponent time and space, they will punish you and that was what happened today."

Ocloo also took full responsibility for the defeat, saying, "I take full responsibility. We go back and right the wrongs and work more on the positives."

The Phobians are still fourth with 35 points despite the loss and could move further down depending on results from other games.