Accra Hearts of Oak will return to the capital with all three points after their hard-fought 1-0 win over rivals Asante Kotoko in the Ghana Premier League matchday 22 fixture at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Left-back Baba Adam’s looping header inside the penalty box was enough to seal victory for the Phobians, who have now avenged their opponents, having lost by the same margin in the first leg in Accra.
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The early minutes were very clumsy, though Kotoko proved to be the better side as Albert Amoah came close to opening the score for Kotoko in the 5th minute with a decent shot outside the box.
The Phobians slowly warmed themselves into the game and caught the hosts by surprise when Baba Adamu scored in the 13th minute.
The former Golden Kicks man connected well with a decent header from Martin Karikari’s cross into the penalty box.
The Phobians nearly doubled their advantage when goalie Camara Mohammed gifted out a loose ball to Mawuli Wayo, who failed to strike on sight and was forcefully dispossessed in the 23rd minute.
After half an hour of play, the game took a different twist when the Phobians were reduced to 10 men after Emmanuel Amankwah was shown his second yellow card following a late tackle on Saaka Dauda.
With efforts to level before the end of the first half, Dogo’s efforts missed closely minutes after the red card incident.
Before the end of the first period, Kotoko’s Prince Badu hit a decent shot from range, which was calmly collected by goalie Benjamin Asare.
Back from recess, Kotoko took charge and dominated play, creating good chances, but there was no cutting edge to bury these chances.
Patrick Asiedu’s powerful 30-yard drive was parried away by Asare, making a statement about why he remains the Black Stars’ number one.
Minutes after, Kotoko’s Camara was called to duty when he saved a one-on-one chance from Rafael Amponsah.
Hearts of Oak held on to pick up their crucial win, which brings the gap between leaders Medeama SC to five points.
