Heart of Lions 2-0 Hearts of Oak - Phobians suffer 2nd defeat of the season

Heart of Lions handed Hearts of Oak a 2-0 defeat, deepening the troubles of under-pressure coach Aboubakar Ouattara, who is struggling to win back the trust of the fans.

After a shock loss to newly promoted Basake Holy Stars in their season opener, all eyes were on Ouattara to guide his team to a recovery.

Instead, they suffered another disappointing defeat, this time in Kpando against a resolute Heart of Lions.

With their head coach Bashir Hayford watching from the stands due to a misconduct charge, Heart of Lions put on a solid display.

It took 83 minutes for the deadlock to be broken when forward Nana Oppong struck to give Lions the lead.

Just minutes later, midfielder Ishmael Addo sealed the win with a second goal, leaving Hearts of Oak with no way back.

This defeat marks the first time since October 2009 that Hearts of Oak have lost their opening two games in the Ghana Premier League.

Coincidentally, it was Heart of Lions who inflicted a similar 2-0 defeat on them in the opening round of that 2009 season.

Ouattara, who received the backing of the club's management earlier this week, will now face even greater scrutiny after back-to-back losses.

The Phobians narrowly avoided relegation last season, and their poor start to this campaign has left fans anxious about another stressful season ahead.

With two losses in a row, changes could be imminent if Ouattara is unable to turn things around quickly.