Lions rout Arsenal to earn first win

Accra, Sept 10, GNA - Kpando Heart of Lions earned their first win of the Glo Top Four Tournament courtesy a 4-0 drubbing of Berekum Arsenal on Wednesday at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium in Accra. A second half brace from striker Stephen Owusu and one each from Sulemana Ibrahim and Edmund Owusu Ansah was enough to lift Lions from the bottom of the standings and to record the heaviest score of the tournament, but their feat was not enough to ensure them a place in the October 12 final.

For a competition dogged down by seemingly unattractive performances, it was a better output this time round as both teams exhibited improved displays over previous ones. The low side of the game however saw the attendance of "record" of countable crowd, which was bolstered by the presence of staff of the National Sports Council (NSC) and Zoom Lion.

It was Lions who started on a high note and their efforts yielded dividends just after eight minutes when Ibrahim broke the deadlock with a long range effort that caught Arsenal goalie Issahaku Shaibu off guard.

Visiting Arsenal rallied back but their closest attempt at drawing parity remained a dream after Lions captain Emmanuel Ansong scooped Eric Asiedu's goal bound strike off the goal line. The hosts resumed the second half strongly and succeeded in authenticating their lead through efforts from Stephen Owusu and Owusu Ansah in the 50th and 53rd minutes respectively. Owusu sealed victory for his side with a personal second goal on 68 minutes after substitute Abraham Annan had put him through after a swift counter masterminded by Ibrahim.

Lions' Owusu Ansah was voted the most Valuable Player of the match.