Top4: Spirited Faisal holds Lions

Accra, Feb 6, GNA - A spirited King Faisal team on Sunday rode high on their perseverance to pick a vital away point to hold Kpando Heart of Lions to a two all drawn game when they crossed swords at the nation's Wembley, Ohene Djan Sports Stadium in Accra.

Faisal launched a late onslaught to cancel Sadat Bukari and Bob Zeo's 10th and 64th minute's strikes to keep their desire of successfully defending the trophy alive, which they won in the last edition.

The Lions who enjoyed a splendid afternoon, looked all set to record their first victory in the three-week old competition until their lack of concentration when it mattered most.

Their coach, Bashiru Hayford rightly mourned the mishap in a post match interview with the GNA Sports for his side allowing such clear cut wins to rear its ugly head again.

This is the third time that the Lions had relinquished an early lead as it happened in their previous two matches against Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak.

In the match itself it was though the "Oseikrom" lads who commenced the game on a fast pace with series of raids into the Lions rear, but it was the latter who astonished the visitors with the opener when Bukari recorded his third goal in three games by capitalising on sloppy marking from the Faisal defence to connect home Lions first visible chance on the day.

The goal unsettled the Alhaji Gruzah's lads and that forced them to concede their midfield to the Lions trio of Zeo, Obed Ansah and Draman Haminu to dictate the pace of the match. On the 30th minute mark, Eric Gawu of Faisal was gifted with an amazing chance to pull his side even, but the skilful striker who's assert has been his speed and stamina, left Lions off the hook by shooting wide.

From then onwards it was the two goalkeepers who took the centre stage in making spectacular saves to keep their sides in the game and left the scores unchanged.

Both teams fought for supremacy when the second session resumed with occasional incursion until Zeo solidified his side's lead by exploiting a lousy calculation on the part of goalkeeper Abubakari Kankani to cleverly head home their second gaol in the 64th minute. A minute later, Faisal pulled one back from petit Ben Wilson's spot kick after Jerry Akaminko, who was voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) after the game handled the ball in the box.

The goal spurred the defending champions on to go for the kill, and their hard work was rewarded when substitute Micky Ofosu utilized an unpardonable poor defending by Yaw Nyarko to pull the vital equalizer for the visitors.

Faisal now leads the four-club table with five points from three games.