Hearts Stretch Lead In Ghana League

Accra, Ghana (PANA) - Accra's Hearts of Oak stretched their lead to five points in the Ghana Premier football league when they beat struggling Afienya United 1-0 in the away match played at the Tema Sports Stadium on Sunday.

Accra Great Olympics moved to second spot after a 1-1 draw with Ghapoha after Goldfields and Hasaacas lost.


Hearts now have 30 points against 28 for Olympics.


Hearts scored the only goal of the match in the 20th minute when a cornerkick taken by right-winger Winfred Dormon was headed home by left-winger James Zoglo.


Afienya nearly equalised in the 30th minute but centre forward Ablade Morgan, who was put through, shot straight into the waiting hands of goalkeeper James Nanor.


Afienya made a last minute effort to redeem their pride but tried as they did, they could not find the net as the defenders of Hearts thwarted all their efforts.


In Accra, Olympics raced into an early lead when Wisdom Abbey found the net after three minutes. Midfielder Billy Sulemana took the ball from Ghapoha's Richard Darko and sent a through pass for Abbey to shoot past goalkeeper Alfred Mills who had moved off his line.

Ghapoha came strongly into the game after the goal and nearly came on level terms in the 12th minute through Bernard Bortey, but goalkeeper Sam Quaye made an acrobatic save.


Back from the recess, Ghapoha resumed the game on a blistering pace and nearly equalised in the 47th minute, but unmarked Kwabena Boateng failed to connect a beautiful cross from Fiifi Hanson.


Olympics took up the challenge and stormed the Ghapoha goal area in a bid to increase the tally but Farouk Iddrissu's shot from a Briamah Tahiru's cross, hit the posts with substitute goalie, Joseph Mensah, already beaten.


Eight minutes later, Ghapoha scored the much-needed equaliser through their top marksman, Bortey.


Hanson sent a cross from the right flank to Boateng, whose header ricocheted from the woodworks into the path of Bortey for him to shoot into the net.


In Sunyani, Bofoakwa Tano beat visiting Dawu Youngsters 1-0 in their match played at the Sunyani Coronation Park on Sunday.

Fast-improving Osei Kwame scored the lone goal in the 40th minute.


In Kumasi, Asante Kotoko lost 3-4 at home to a 10-man Cape Coast Dwarfs in their match played at the Kumasi Sports Stadium.


Kotoko, who took the field brimming with confidence, took a commanding 2-0 lead after eight minutes.


Inspirer Adams Armando shot his side into the lead in the fifth minute when he rounded the tight Dwarfs defence and scored with a grounder to the blind side of goalkeeper Issaka Sulemana.


Striker Nicholas Addo raised the score to 2-0 in the eighth minute, by converting a spot-kick awarded when a defender of Dwarfs handled the ball in the 18 area.


Dwarfs fought back and outside-left Micheal Osei pulled a goal back in the 20th minute with a powerful shot, which hit the roof of the net.

Dwarfs from the 30th minute were reduced to 10 men when FIFA referee Emmanuel Bissi of Sunyani flashed the yellow card in the face of Phillip Oguaah for a foul play on Armando of Kotoko.


Moments later, the referee showed the player the red card for what appeared to have been dissent.


Dwarfs conceded a third goal in the 44th minute when Armando's lob hit the crossbar but Isaac Asare, lurking around, rounded the defence before putting the ball into the net.


Dwarfs resumed the second half a transformed side. Led by Stephen Owusu, they confused Kotoko with inch-perfect passes and deft touches, thus forcing Kotoko to concede three successive corners.


Stephen Owusu, who is gradually becoming a free-kick expert, reduced the score to 3-2 with a 30-metre free-kick, which rolled under goalkeeper Oscar Asamoah into the net as he dived to save the powerful shot in the 62nd minute.


Six minutes later, Dwarfs, who were on the rampage levelled up as Michael Osei broke through the middle and chipped a low shot into the net with the Kotoko defence completely stranded.

Stephen Owusu, the man-of-the-match, applied the coup de grace in the 78th minute when his powerful free-kick sailed into the net, beating goalkeeper Oscar Asamoah for the fourth goal.


The following are the results Sunday's matches: [ST] Olympics 1 Ghapoha 1 Afienya 0 Hearts 1 Kotoko 3 Dwarfs 4 Power FC 2 Okwawu 1 Bofoakwa 1 Dawu 0 Real Tamale United 1 King Faisal 0 Liberty 3 Hasaacas 0 All Blacks 2 Goldfields 0


The following is the league table after 16 matches:


P Pts GD Hearts 16 33 '15 Olympics 16 28 '3 Hasaacas 16 27 '8 Goldfields 16 27 '6 Dwarfs 16 27 '4 Kotoko 16 24 '5 Liberty 16 23 '1 All Blacks 16 22 '1 Power 16 22 0 RTU 16 21 '2 Okwawu 16 20 0 Dawu 16 19 -2 Bofoakwa 16 19 -7 King Faisal 16 17 -2 Ghapoha 16 15 -10 Afienya 16 7 -24 [ET]