Kumasi: Kumasi Asante Kotoko lost 3-4 at home to 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 in the grudge match as Dwarfs reeled under stabbing raids.
Inspirer Adams Armando shot his side into the lead in the fifth minute when he rounded up 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".
Cheered on by their teeming crowd, Kotoko doubled their efforts as Dwarfs struggled to find their rhythm earning corner-kicks in the 15th and 19th but wasted both.
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 foul play on Armando of Kotoko.
Moments later, the referee showed the player the red card for what appeared to have been dissent.
Kotoko's Jonas Akorli was also shown the yellow card in the 33rd minute for a foul.
Dwarfs conceded a third goal in the 44th minute when Armando's lob hit the cross bar 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.
Kotoko brought in Godwin Ablordey for George Siaw in the 72nd minute while Mohammed Polo took over from Nicholas Addo in the 76th minute but Kotoko could still not string their passes together.
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.
Four minutes of time added on could not bail out Kotoko. The players slumped onto the field after the referee whistled for the end of the match.
At Swedru, All Black beat visiting Obuasi Goldfields 2-0.
