Right to Dream Academy battle Kotoko to goalless draw

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Right to Dream Academy (RtD) have held reigning league champions, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, to a pulsating 0:0 draw, in a friendly match at the RtD Field on Thursday, 16th January at Old Akrade.

Striker Yaw Yeboah came closest to breaking the deadlock when his goal-bound shot was saved by Osuman Sulaman while Abdul Aziz and Osuman Gambo went close for the porcupine warriors.

The game, watched by a large crowd from the surrounding village, was characterised by patient build ups, good passing and movement off the ball, coupled with good through-balls but the two teams' defensive lines held firm, making it difficult to score goals.

RtD Technical Director, Gareth Henderby’s side started the game on a brighter note and could have fetched the opener in the 15th minute.

Speedster Thomas Agyepong rounded his marker before laying the ball onto the path of Yaw Yeboah, who blazed over from 10 yards.

Kotoko quickly re-organised, with Larbi Koomson orchestrating play from midfield but the porcupine warriors lacked the necessary penetration to break the home team’s resilience.

RtD goalie, James Nortei, collected Osuman Gambo’s long range drive, midway through the first half, with ease. Nortei was again called into action as he saved Prince Baffoe fierce drive from the left flank later on in the game.

However, RtD, who featured three graduates in the game - namely King Osei Gyan, Enock Kwakwa and Razak Nuhu – laid siege to the Kotoko goal area.

Thomas Agyepong’s lob was headed away by Ohene Brenya in the 28th minute before striker, Richard Donkor’s; goal-bound effort was blocked by Smallboy Korbah.

With a minute to end the half, Thomas Agyepong again narrowly missed putting RtD ahead with a shot past the far post, after going on one of his trade mark runs, cutting in from the right flank.

In the second half, the inclusion of Rahim Ayew, Stephen Oduro, Christophe Bonney, Abdul Aziz and Isaac Boakye, brought life into the Kotoko attack; but RtD’s back four made up of Emmanuel Ntim, Kingsley Fobi, Enock Adu and Razak Nuhu stood firm.

Probably the best chance fell to Ghana's U17 striker, Yaw Yeboah, who had a shot saved by the Kotoko goalie, Sulaman Osuman, following a defence-splitting through ball from RtD playmaker, Divine Naah.

Kotoko’s Osuman Gambo, Isaac Boakye and Abdul Basit also had shots saved by RtD’s experienced goalie, James Nortei. And Nortei made a brilliant block to deny Abdul Aziz in the closing stages of the second half.

Kumasi Asante Kotoko coach Mas-ud Didi Dramani expressed his delight with his team’s performance.

“It was a game that we needed to see how fast our boys would be and so we needed to play a young team,” he said adding that, “we needed to play a young group, a side that is technically inclined. So you could see that any side that had the ball, they were able to pass the ball around, they were able to move the entire team to the final third.”

“The finishing was not an aspect we were really looking at but if the goals had come, it would have been ok but I really wanted to see how we could possess the ball from the back to te middle to the final third.”

Dramani, who is also a former Right to Dream coach also hailed the performance of the U-18s, “I was very impressed with the little ones I left here. I knew what they were going to do I told my boys that Right to Dream were going to be very impressive having played a lot of high profile games in Europe. I think what I wanted, I saw in my boys.”