Hearts defeats All Blacks

Accra, Jan 11, GNA - Accra Hearts of Oak kept their championship aspirations on course with a 2-0 victory over visiting Gamba All Blacks in the sixth week of the Glo Premier League at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra on Sunday.

The Phobians scored both goals in the second half of the match after the two sides sold out an unimpressive outing in the first half, which was characterised by faulty passes and poor shooting. The two sides also failed to create any clear cut chances rendering the half unexciting but with Hearts slightly on top of affairs. Both sides however lifted up their game on resumption of the second half but it was Hearts who indicated clear intentions of carrying the day with Samuel Affum laying a perfect set up for Eric Gawu, but the striker's feeble shot was dealt with coolly by former Hearts keeper Abubakari Sulemana.

With strong indications of finding the opener, Hearts sustained the pressure on the visitors and eventually got the opener in the 53rd minute from the foot of Obed Ansah, who capitalised on keeper Sulemana's failure to make a first time grab of Affum's cross. Gawu and substitute Douglas Nkrumah should have increased the tally for Hearts in the 55th, 67th and 82nd minutes as both of them with only keeper Sulemana to beat surprisingly messed up the scoring chances that came their way.

All Blacks defender Michael Boakye was shown a second yellow card in the dying minutes of the game and the matching off orders for an unsporting behaviour and from then they had to battle with their numerical disadvantage and hardly made any threatening incursion into the defence of Hearts. Affum was on hand to make amends for Hearts six minutes to the close of proceedings when he delivered a classic mid air volley to score the second goal for his side from a mistake by the defenders of All Blacks to end proceedings.