Hearts record massive win over Kotoko
Power F/C shocks B.A. Utd at home
Hasaacas, Okwawu match end in stalmate
Faisal clinch victory over Olympics
Maxbees register vital victory over Bofoakwa
Coach Attuquayefoi makes a wining debut with Liberty
Accra (Greater Accra) 22 July 2002 - Defending League champions, Accra Hearts of Oak, opened a 10-point lead at the start of the second round of the premier league with a 3-0 mauling of archrivals Asante Kotoko in a match characterised with superstition and tension.
Prior to the commencement of the top liner at Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, Kotoko refused to use an approved gate to the dressing room and when they finally did, the team, together with the club officials again refused to enter the dressing room for fear that their players could be hypnotised.
The visitors used the tartan track as their changing room while referee F. K. Mensah was also compelled to move unto the tracks for the inspection of the two teams. Seventh minutes after kick off, Taylor failed to open the scores for Hearts as he fumbled in front of goal after jittery goalkeeper George Owu failed to make a first time save from winger Don Bortey's shot at goal.
By the half hour mark, it was clear that the absence of Kotoko's two key players- defender Joe Hendricks who has been suspended by the club for indiscipline and first choice goalkeeper Osei who was surprisingly put on the bench- were being felt.
Kotoko repulsed the earlier challenge by Hearts with a 19th minute goal but was disallowed because scorer Shilla Alhassan was ruled off side. That decision by referee F. K. Mensah did not go down well with the Kotoko Supporters who starting throwing missiles unto the tracks. Security personnel had to plead with the fans to keep their cool to avert yet another disaster.
Kotoko moved into the top gear after 30 minutes, dominating most of the exchanging and winning all the 50-50 balls. But just as they seemed to be finding their rhythm, ginger haired Bortey broke through an off side trap, place the ball unto the path of racing Taylor who slotted into the net for the opener in the 35th minute.
From that shocker, Hearts never looked back, as Bortey and "prodigal son" Emmanuel Osei Kuffour made it three before the break. Just like the first goal, Bortey beat the off side trap, raced with the ball into the "18", turned his marker inside out and unleashed a curler into the upper right corner of the net.
The stadium was set alight with Bortey's classic goal and the fans responded with a popular gospel song ".....do something new in my life." Osei Kuffour made it three with a deflected shot, which went off the body defender Dan Acquah on the 45th mark.
Kotoko mounted a second half attack as Hearts who look content with the goals were a pale shadow of themselves. Kotoko sent petit Stephen Oduro and defender Isaac Owusu for Abass Inusah and Joe Louis at the start of the second half. However, the excitement and tempo of the game slumped considerably with little incursions into the vital areas.
Joe Sam gave Hearts goalie Sammy Adjei a wakeup call with a 35-mitre pile driver in the 49th minute but the national goalie expertly parried it over the bar. Kuffour should have made it four for Hearts, but he shot over the bar before a yawning net after goalkeeper Owu has pushed Taylor's shot unto his path.
It was the first time the two sides were playing at the Accra Sports Stadium after last year's May 9 disaster, which claimed at least 126 lives. Hearts are on 46 point while Kokoko are on 36.
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Cape Coast (Central Region) 22 July 2002 - A penalty kick taken by full back Yaw Serbeh in the 55th minute enabled Berekum Arsenals to beat Dawu Youngsters 1-0 in their match played at the Cape Coast sports stadium.
After a goalless first half, Arsenals resumed the second half strongly. They piled on intense pressure on their opponents forcing Dawu's goalkeeper Amamoo Williams to foul left half back, Eric Edu Poku in the "18." Class one referee, Mohammed Mustapha, who handled the match, awarded a penalty to Arsenals from which Serbeh scored in the 55th minute.
After this goal, Dawu Youngsters made two changes and made several efforts to equalise but try as they did, they could not find the net until full time.
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Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 22 July 2002 - In Sunyani, visiting Power F/C shocked B.A. United by a lone goal victory in their league match played at the Sunyani Coronation park. The goal scored in the 74th minute by Sefa Boateng Eric came against the run of play as United maintained their control of the game right from the scoreless first half trill the time the Power boys grabbed the goal.
The goal came about when goalkeeper Ransford Kudjo of United could not get a firm grasp of a 20-yard shot by Appiah Justice, giving Sefa Boateng the chance to slot the rebound into the net. It was a match that United had themselves to blame for squandering as many as four begging goal scoring chances that came their way.
Their players like Bawa Mohammed, frank Agyei, Daniel Bomfah, Awudu Moro could have won the game for United but poor anticipation at goal robbed them of the chances.
Incidentally, Power F/C after suffering three yellow cards through foul plays by Appiah Justice in the 11th minute, Kwesi Yeboah in the 29th minute and Coleman Daniel in the 44th minute, also saw another player, Kusi Appiah topping referee Maccarthy Joseph of Cape Coast's decision of such infringements with a red card in the 80th minute.
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Bolgatanga (Upper East) 22 July 2002 - Real Tamale United (RTU) held Obuasi Goldfields to a goalless draw in their encounter. The two teams played goalless draw in their first round league encounter in Obuasi. The expectation of both teams was therefore to secure a win to place them at good positions on the league table.
RTU's determination to win the match saw them push the Obuasi giants to their own half mounting pressure on the visitors. Several good saves from the Obuasi goalie deprived home based RTU from their wish to win.
GRi…/
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Sekondi (Western Region) 22 July 2002 - Sekondi Hasaacas were on Sunday held to a goalless draw by visiting Okwahu United in their encounter at the Sekondi Gyandu Park.
Okwahu's goalkeeper Fattau Dauda was the pillar who stood gallantly between Hasaacas and victory, making numerous daring saves, including a spot kick, in the 43rd minute. Inside left Owusu Sekyere of Hasaacas was fouled in the vital area but the resultant kick, taken by central defender Atta Yawson was expertly saved by Dauda.
Hasaacas made a number of changes thereby increasing their work rate but they yielded no fruitful results as the defence of Okwahu United remained and thwarted their efforts.
With their supporters urging them to go for goals, Hasaacas kept probing for victory but not even the clever moves of veteran Kofi Abbrey, who came in as a substitute in the second half, could change the situation until Referee Elvis Nii Adjei of Accra signalled for the end of the game.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 22 July 2002 - Two undisputable goals scored by Abubakari Yahuza enabled King Faisal to beat Accra Great Olympics 2-1 in their premier league match played at the Kumasi sports stadium. The stylish goal-poacher opened the scoring in the ninth minute while Winfred Dormon of Olympics equalised in the 40th minute.
Yahuza spearheaded an attack, which was initiated by Ben Wilson and scored the second goal in the 71st minute with a deceptive shot, which made Olympics goalkeeper Theodore Atsu rooted to the ground. It was the visitors who showed signs of carrying the day when John Cudjoe gave a scare in the fourth minute of the game when his beautiful shot missed the post narrowly after a corner kick.
Faisal then took control of the game with Ishaak Debra missing a golden chance in the sixth minute before Yahuza found the net. Olympics made faulty passes and could not find their feet and allowed Faisal to dictate the pace of the game. Olympics however came into the picture in the dying minutes of the game but wasted all the chances that came their way until referee Essel Walker of Cape Coast whistled for the end of proceedings.
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Koforidua (Eastern Region) 22 July 2002 - Suhum Maxbees Football Club beat visiting Tano Bofoakwa 1-0 in their encounter played at Koforidua.
Maxbees took the lead in the second minute when they had a free kick outside the goal area of Bofoakwa and their midfielder Mustapher Ali shot straight into the net for the only goal of the match. The Tano boys took up the challenge and outplayed the Maxbees boys but failed to penetrate deep into their goal area to score the much needed equaliser.
In the 44th minute, the Maxbees boys managed to pull themselves together and nearly increased their tally when their inside left Asamoah Dzifa managed to beat Mohammed Alhassan in the post for Bofoakwa but the ball was cleared from the line by the Bofoakwa defenders.
The ball was stopped right in the goal area of Bofoakwa by the centre forward of Maxbees, Masawudu Mumuni but his feeble shot towards goal was easily cleared to safety by the defenders of Bofoakwa who had pitched themselves in the post.
Maxbees had two chances in the 82nd and 84th minutes when in both cases Mumuni who has then moved to the outside-right position managed to centre two crosses and in all cases beat the goalkeeper and the defenders of Bofoakwa but their left out Anthony Appiah and substitute Eric Abankwa who needed just taps into the post wasted the chances.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 22 July 2002 - Liberty Professional made it a winning start to the second round of the Premier League under the technical directorship of 'Sir' Cecil Jones Attuquayefoi, formerly of Accra Hearts Oak, with a well deserved 2-1 victory over visiting Prestea Mine Stars at the Accra Sport Stadium on Saturday.
Liberty kicked off and quickly established dominance over their opponents scoring the opening goal in the 10th minute through a Lawrence Awuley Quaye, who blasted from the edge of the box to the blind side of Eric Asare in post for the Miners.
The early goal set the tone for an anticipated goal harvest, which never materialised as a result of poor marksmanship by the attackers of Liberty. In the 17th minute for example, Liberty's Jonathan Quartey with the goal at his mercy after John Paintsil had laid the ball in his path, shot wide, off the mark.
Mine stars gradually worked themselves into the game as they tightened the mid-field and created some decent chances one of which Ibrahim Mohammed wasted in the 24th minute when he could not direct his effort into the net. Liberty doubled their lead in the 30th minute through Ernest Papa Arko, whose goal-scoring prowess seemed to have deserted him after having led the goal king race for some time in the early stages of the league.
The second half was considerably slower than the first as both sides appeared tired as a result of the three weeks break after the end of the first round. The home team thought they had scored the third goal when in the 67th minute substitute Ablade Morgan lobbed a ball over the advancing Mine Stars goalkeeper but referee Ali Musah Plato from Kumasi disallowed the goal after he spotted an infringement on a Mine Stars player before the ball went into the net.
Mine Stars put in a spirited fight back in the latter stages of the game and in the 73rd minute had a consolation goal through Abdul Samad Okotcha's well-placed glancing header beyond the diving reach of Liberty's Cudjoe Addo in post.
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