CHAMPION Club, Accra Hearts of Oak, yesterday worsened the situation for relegation-threatened Suhum Maxbees when they defeateds the homesters by 3-0 in their premier league encounter played at the Koforidua Stadium.
Playing in front of their teeming fans, the Phobia boys found the opener in the 32nd minute from a spot kick converted by Don Bortey after Charles Taylor was brought down in the box by a Maxbee defender.
Five minutes later, Wisdom Abbey made it two for Hearts with a brilliant connection to a Charles Taylor pull-out from the right flank of the field.
In the early minutes of the second half, Maxbees nearly pulled a goal back but Sammy Adjei in post for the Phobians brought the situation under control to the admiration of the spectators.
Both sides exhausted their substitutions midway into the half, with Hearts? bringing on Osmanu Amadu, Frank Turkson and Adjah Tetteh for Charles Taylor, Wisdom Abbey and Laryea Kingston respectively. Maxbees also brought on Mark Ayitey, Dennis Morgan and George Apraku for Dauda Mohammed, Eric Mensah and Ali Mustapah to strengthen their game.
Just as all thought the game was gearing for a 2-0 victory for the league leaders, Frank Turkson surprised everybody in the 88th minute with a bullet of a shot 20 metres away which powered off the goalpost for his side?s third and winning goal.
Oly score big win
ACCRA Great Olympics defied a late rally by visiting Bofoakwa Tano to coast home with an emphatic 4-2 victory in their Premier league encounter at the Accra Stadium yesterday.The homesters were 3-0 up by half-time to effectively clip the wings of their opponents.
It was centre forward Mensah Pomeyie who headed home the opener for Olympics as early as the fourth minute and topped it up in the 30th minute after converting a spot kick.
Still having the upperhand, enterprising midfielder John Cudjoe magnified the cheers among the home fans with a beautiful long volley which hit beneath the crossbar before dropping into the net five minutes later.
Pomeyie nearly hit a hat-trick after turning his markers inside-out in the 56th minute, but his pewerful left-footer was parried over the bar by agile goalkeeper Mohammed Alhassan.
However, Bofoakwa?s goal tender had no answer to a low shot from substitute Iddrisu Sumaila following a solo run in the 79th minute.
Bofoakwa?s substitute Kennedy Boadu and Kwaku Adu snatched two consolation goals in the 88th and 90th minutes through curling kicks which Theodore Atsu found no antidotes to.
Kotoko beat Okwahu
KUMASI Asante Kotoko last Saturday kept the pressure on league leaders Accra Hearts of Oak when they recorded an 1-0 away victory over Okwawu United at the Accra Stadium in the weekend's top fixture.Kotoko earned the deserved victory, courtesy of skipper Godwin Ablordey's half-time strike from a spot kick, on a day when Okwawu were in their elements and gave Ian Poterfield's men several scary moments.
After two disappointing trips to Accra, the Porcupine Warriors stormed the nation's capital determined to bag all the three points. Ablordey's ninth goal of the season ? mostly through spot kicks ? kept their title ambitions alive.
Within four minutes of the game, Kotoko's defence men were forced to clear two goal-bound shots from the goal-line, the latter chance headed out by Aziz Ansah from a well-taken corner-kick.
Kotoko responded swiftly by the eighth minute from the flanks, with Ablordey running the show. An agile goalkeeper Fatau Duada, Seth Osei Wire, and centre-backs George Tutu and Eddie Acquaye formed a barrier that held Kotoko's strikers in check.
Strikers Stephen Owusu and Frank Osei kept Okwawu's defencemen working overtime as Kotoko took charge of affairs and began threatening the home side. In the 25th minute, Owusu hit the side post from an Ablordey through-pass, and three minutes later Osei's shot on the run was punched into play by goalkeeper Dauda.
The red side of the stadium was almost stunned into silence in the 41st minute when Okwawu's Asare Nyarko broke free but fullback Godfried Yeboah appeared from nowhere to rob the homeside a goal with a timely slide tackle, with goalkeeper Osei Boateng at the striker's mercy.
However, it all turned joy for Kotoko in the 45th minute when they were awarded a penalty by Takoradi-based referee Djan Otoo after Hamza Mohammed's shot was handled by Urmah Yakubu, only seconds after an Okwawu defender had scooped a shot from the line.
Okwawu reinforced their midfield with pint-sized Abdul Midjimah and he provided their attack with the thrust that forced Kotoko to play defensive. Midjimah became the focal point of Okwawu's attack but they found it difficult to penetrate Kotoko's well-knit central defence manned by Isaac Owusu and Joe Hendericks.
Dauda pulled off another great save in the 64th minute after he had blundered and gave Osei a chance to add to Ablordey's lead. The young goalie, while retreating, managed to lift himself on the run to tip the striker's lob to corner.
Kotoko, looking exhausted, managed to hang on to the lead until referee Otoo's final whistle ended their moments of discomfort.
Kotoko LineUp: Osei Boateng, Aziz Ansah, Godfred Yeboah, Isaac Owusu "Ninja", Joe Hendricks, Joe Sam, Godwin Ablordey, Mohammed Hamza, Michael Osei (Abass Inusah ), Frank Osei (Stephen Oduro), Stephen Owusu (Shilla Alhassan)
Hearts 3 Maxbee 0
Okwawu 1 Kotoko 0
Olympics 4 B'kwa 2
King Faisals 0 RTU 0
Arsenals 1-Mine Stars 0
Dawu 1 Power F/C 0
Hassacas 0 G'Fields 0
B/A 0 Liberty 0
CHAMPION Club, Accra Hearts of Oak, yesterday worsened the situation for relegation-threatened Suhum Maxbees when they defeateds the homesters by 3-0 in their premier league encounter played at the Koforidua Stadium.
Playing in front of their teeming fans, the Phobia boys found the opener in the 32nd minute from a spot kick converted by Don Bortey after Charles Taylor was brought down in the box by a Maxbee defender.
Five minutes later, Wisdom Abbey made it two for Hearts with a brilliant connection to a Charles Taylor pull-out from the right flank of the field.
In the early minutes of the second half, Maxbees nearly pulled a goal back but Sammy Adjei in post for the Phobians brought the situation under control to the admiration of the spectators.
Both sides exhausted their substitutions midway into the half, with Hearts? bringing on Osmanu Amadu, Frank Turkson and Adjah Tetteh for Charles Taylor, Wisdom Abbey and Laryea Kingston respectively. Maxbees also brought on Mark Ayitey, Dennis Morgan and George Apraku for Dauda Mohammed, Eric Mensah and Ali Mustapah to strengthen their game.
Just as all thought the game was gearing for a 2-0 victory for the league leaders, Frank Turkson surprised everybody in the 88th minute with a bullet of a shot 20 metres away which powered off the goalpost for his side?s third and winning goal.
Oly score big win
ACCRA Great Olympics defied a late rally by visiting Bofoakwa Tano to coast home with an emphatic 4-2 victory in their Premier league encounter at the Accra Stadium yesterday.The homesters were 3-0 up by half-time to effectively clip the wings of their opponents.
It was centre forward Mensah Pomeyie who headed home the opener for Olympics as early as the fourth minute and topped it up in the 30th minute after converting a spot kick.
Still having the upperhand, enterprising midfielder John Cudjoe magnified the cheers among the home fans with a beautiful long volley which hit beneath the crossbar before dropping into the net five minutes later.
Pomeyie nearly hit a hat-trick after turning his markers inside-out in the 56th minute, but his pewerful left-footer was parried over the bar by agile goalkeeper Mohammed Alhassan.
However, Bofoakwa?s goal tender had no answer to a low shot from substitute Iddrisu Sumaila following a solo run in the 79th minute.
Bofoakwa?s substitute Kennedy Boadu and Kwaku Adu snatched two consolation goals in the 88th and 90th minutes through curling kicks which Theodore Atsu found no antidotes to.
Kotoko beat Okwahu
KUMASI Asante Kotoko last Saturday kept the pressure on league leaders Accra Hearts of Oak when they recorded an 1-0 away victory over Okwawu United at the Accra Stadium in the weekend's top fixture.Kotoko earned the deserved victory, courtesy of skipper Godwin Ablordey's half-time strike from a spot kick, on a day when Okwawu were in their elements and gave Ian Poterfield's men several scary moments.
After two disappointing trips to Accra, the Porcupine Warriors stormed the nation's capital determined to bag all the three points. Ablordey's ninth goal of the season ? mostly through spot kicks ? kept their title ambitions alive.
Within four minutes of the game, Kotoko's defence men were forced to clear two goal-bound shots from the goal-line, the latter chance headed out by Aziz Ansah from a well-taken corner-kick.
Kotoko responded swiftly by the eighth minute from the flanks, with Ablordey running the show. An agile goalkeeper Fatau Duada, Seth Osei Wire, and centre-backs George Tutu and Eddie Acquaye formed a barrier that held Kotoko's strikers in check.
Strikers Stephen Owusu and Frank Osei kept Okwawu's defencemen working overtime as Kotoko took charge of affairs and began threatening the home side. In the 25th minute, Owusu hit the side post from an Ablordey through-pass, and three minutes later Osei's shot on the run was punched into play by goalkeeper Dauda.
The red side of the stadium was almost stunned into silence in the 41st minute when Okwawu's Asare Nyarko broke free but fullback Godfried Yeboah appeared from nowhere to rob the homeside a goal with a timely slide tackle, with goalkeeper Osei Boateng at the striker's mercy.
However, it all turned joy for Kotoko in the 45th minute when they were awarded a penalty by Takoradi-based referee Djan Otoo after Hamza Mohammed's shot was handled by Urmah Yakubu, only seconds after an Okwawu defender had scooped a shot from the line.
Okwawu reinforced their midfield with pint-sized Abdul Midjimah and he provided their attack with the thrust that forced Kotoko to play defensive. Midjimah became the focal point of Okwawu's attack but they found it difficult to penetrate Kotoko's well-knit central defence manned by Isaac Owusu and Joe Hendericks.
Dauda pulled off another great save in the 64th minute after he had blundered and gave Osei a chance to add to Ablordey's lead. The young goalie, while retreating, managed to lift himself on the run to tip the striker's lob to corner.
Kotoko, looking exhausted, managed to hang on to the lead until referee Otoo's final whistle ended their moments of discomfort.
Kotoko LineUp: Osei Boateng, Aziz Ansah, Godfred Yeboah, Isaac Owusu "Ninja", Joe Hendricks, Joe Sam, Godwin Ablordey, Mohammed Hamza, Michael Osei (Abass Inusah ), Frank Osei (Stephen Oduro), Stephen Owusu (Shilla Alhassan)
Hearts 3 Maxbee 0
Okwawu 1 Kotoko 0
Olympics 4 B'kwa 2
King Faisals 0 RTU 0
Arsenals 1-Mine Stars 0
Dawu 1 Power F/C 0
Hassacas 0 G'Fields 0
B/A 0 Liberty 0
