Hearts of Oak silence Asante Kotoko
Accra Hearts of Oak have many iconic feats to their name, and yesterday at the Baba Yara Stadium, they added another, courtesy of a vintage showing that fetched a 1- 0 victory over Asante Kotoko.
Playing with 10 men for more than an hour, the Phobians lived every letter of their "Never Say Die" motto, repelling wave after wave of pressure to secure all three points in the Ghana Premier League clash.
It was some revenge on the Porcupine Warriors, who had won the reverse encounter in Accra by a similar margin, but yesterday's victory was devoid of all the controversies that attended Kotoko's victory back in November.
Kokoko scored with a penalty in Accra, while Hearts had a goal disallowed in that fixture, the two incidents dominating the post-match conversation about the first round encounter.
In Kumasi yesterday, however, Hearts felt hard done by referee Daniel Nii Laryea after he showed a first yellow card to full-back Emmanuel Amankwah; a second booking for another incident subsequently resulted in his early dismissal from the match.
It was intriguing that the better chances for a goal after Amankwah's dismissal fell to the visitors.
If Mawuli Wayo and Raphael Amponsah, in particular, had shown a more ruthless finishing, Hearts would have finished the game more comfortably.
Instead, they needed their skipper and national goalkeeper, Benjamin Asare, in top commanding show, putting in a man-of-the-match performance to keep Kotoko's attack at bay.
Kotoko all through out the game, hardly created a chance of note, relying instead on speculation and long-range drives.
None of those efforts troubled the Hearts goalkeeper, and whenever they decided to float the ball into the Hearts penalty area, the Hearts' compact defensive setup and Asare proved too good for their opponents.
The second half began with early pressure from Hearts of Oak, as Martin Karikari came close to extending their advantage with a powerful volley from just outside the penalty area, but his effort sailed over the crossbar.
At the other end, Asante Kotoko responded through Hubert Gyau, who made a promising run into the box and delivered a dangerous square pass, but goalkeeper Benjamin Asare was alert to gather the ball.
Kotoko nearly found a breakthrough in the 55th minute when they won a free kick in a promising position. However, Albert Amoah’s effort took a deflection off the Hearts' defensive wall and went harmlessly away.
Despite being a man down, Hearts looked composed, while Kotoko appeared jittery and frequently gave away possession in midfield. Amoah had another glorious chance in the 61st minute after a brilliant run by Morinfing Donzo set him up at the edge of the box, but he agonisingly fired over the bar.
With 20 minutes remaining, Hearts came under sustained pressure as Kotoko pushed forward in search of an equaliser. Goalkeeper Asare once again proved decisive in the 74th minute, sprawling low to push away a goal-bound effort and preserve his side’s lead.
Three minutes later, Hearts had a golden opportunity to double their advantage. Eduku picked out Raphael Amponsah with a clever pass, but with only the goalkeeper to beat, Amponsah squandered the chance.
Kotoko continued to pile on the pressure, often attacking down the right flank in search of a breakthrough. However, Asare remained resolute between the posts, producing a string of saves to deny the Porcupine Warriors and keep Hearts firmly in control.
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