GRi Sports 17 - 03 - 2003
Kotoko in controversial victory
Liberty worsen Hearts’ worries
Kotoko in controversial victory
Accra (Greater Accra) 17 March 2003 - An
outrageous decision by referee JBK Akeosu from Hohoe deep into injury time to
ignore a penalty when a Kotoko defender handled the ball the vital area left
Kotoko off the hook to beat Olympics 2-1 in a dramatic late 94th
minute goal at the Accra Sport Stadium on Sunday.
Referee Akoesu's performance, an indictment on officiating in the country, left a sour taste in the mouth of both groups of supporters resulting in players and officials of Olympics charging on him after the final whistle. But for the timely intervention of the police, a nasty incident would have occurred.
Kotoko would be in the first match agree that they have been in a match of their lives as Olympics prior to today's match were the weeping boys of the tournament having lost their first three matches conceding nine goal and scoring only one the process competed for everything.
The Fabulous lads kicked off and pressed hard in the early stages succeeding in creating some early anxious moments in the Olympics defence which they failed to capitalise on.
As the game wore on, Olympics game plan to frustrate Kotoko with packed midfield and tight marking at the back marshalled around Ahmed Issah yielded the desired result as they kept the of attack of Kotoko at bay.
Isaac Boakye had the first open chance in the 10th minute but fired off the mark after a fast break by Michael Osei and Michael Asanti left him unmarked.
With action mostly concentrated in the midfield, Kotoko who looked more aggressive had another chance to open the scoring after Osei had beaten the offside trap but wasted too much time on the ball and allowed Issah to recover to block his shot to touch in the 37th minute.
Olympics who were content with their defensive approach created little up front and had the first chance in the 41st minute when Yeboah Richard's shot from the edge of the box just went wide of the mark to go into the break goalless.
Fans of Kotoko showed their frustration as the game wore on and pelted the assistant referee two with water bags giving security personnel at the stadium some hectic time to bring them under control.
Kotoko finally opened the scoring in the 53rd minute through a penalty kick converted by Stephen Oduro after a hard-pressed Olympics defender handled the ball in the vital area.
Olympics after going down came out of their defensive shell and pushed more men forward in a bid to get the equalizer which duly came in the 62nd minute through a booming freekick by John Cudjoe which Louis Quainoo failed to deal with for the ball to roll into the net.
The Dade Boys pushed more men forward after the equalizer and Francis Mantey had a good chance to increased the tally when he found some space in Kotok's vital area but his final delivery went straight into the hands of goalkeeper Quainoo.
With the game heading for a draw Kotoko brought on Shila Alhassan for Boakye who scored a dramatic late winner deep into injury time from a pass by Osei as a result of a quick counter attack after the referee waved play on to a clear hand ball in the Kotoko box after a corner kick.
The win Kotoko's fourth in succession the LG Top Four Competition leaves them six clear points ahead of Liberty professionals and Accra Hearts of Oaks and a win against in their pan-ultimate match in Kumasi against Liberty would see the annexing the title.
Kotoko lineup: Louis Quainoo Aziz Ansah Godfred Yeboah Dan Acquah Joe Hendricks Edmond Owusu-Ansah/Frank Osei Michael Asante Yussif Chipsah Stephen Oduro/Kwadwo Poku Snr. Isaac Boakye/Shilla Alhassan Michael Osei.
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Liberty worsen Hearts’ worries
Accra (Greater Accra) 17 March 2003 -
Liberty Professionals and Cecil Jones
Attuquayefio got their revenge over Accra
Hearts of Oak last Saturday. It was a deserved 1-0 victory over the champion
club at the Accra Stadium and Liberty's second straight win in the ongoing LG
Top Four tournament which also gave Liberty a mathematical chance of winning
the contest.
Coach Attuquayefio's charges not only did what no other Ghanaian club had achieved over Hearts in any competitive game in the nation's capital, but took Hearts to the cleaners and eventually stamped their authority over them, having won three of the last four games between them.
The defeat drove most Hearts fans wild as they swore at the club officials for leading the club to two straight losses in the competition.
It was a different spectacle last Saturday as a proud Attuquayefio walked freely without police escort, and basking in his club's achievement. Only two weeks earlier he was subjected to verbal abuse by some irate Hearts fans after Liberty’s 2-0 loss to Hearts on 23 February.
Even though he did not avenge the 2-0 loss, Attuquayefio supplied the right dosage of retaliatory medicine through his talented young lads. In fact, they could have humiliated Hearts further if the referee had not disallowed a 66th minute own goal which assistant referee M.D. Arthur judged to be offside positioning on the part of George Yamoah whose measured cross to William Tierro was pushed into the Hearts net by Hearts’ defender Princeton Owusu-Ansah.
Hearts paid a bad price for failing to capitalise on two early chances that fell to Massawudu Mumuni and Bernard Dong-Bortey in the 13th and 25th minutes respectively. In both instances, goalkeeper Kotei Blankson was the high hurdle the Hearts strikers could not scale over.
Liberty players looked fitter and stronger and enjoyed better ball possession. Despite missing the services of Charles Taylor, Hearts put a lot of pressure on their opponents whose defence was rock-solid to repulse the danger.
With time Liberty took control of the game in midfield where skipper Addoquaye Pappoe and diminutive Alex Nii Aryee played the role of the team's engine. The Phobians eventually lost the midfield battle and allowed Liberty to put pressure on them.
Athletic Gyan, strong Alfred Nii Larbi and Tierro were always a threat, but skipper Amankwah Mireku and centre-back Kwabena Boafo proved unyielding in defence.
Eventually in the 41st minute, Larbi managed to slip past his markers and fired what could have been the opening goal, but the ball's flight towards the Hearts goal was deflected to corner. Thereafter, Hearts had their backs to the wall.
Thus far in the competition, Liberty had earned a reputation as masters of the second half. This character they exhibited soon after recess last Saturday when Gyan exhibited astronaut-style weightlessness by out-jumping his markers to head home a perfect Tierro cross during a fast break.
Hearts brought on experienced Emmanuel Osei Kuffour to complement the attack and introduced Joe Ansah who helped restore some stability in midfield. Kuffour's presence gave them a sharper cutting edge as they mounted pressure on the Liberty defence.
However, defender Sammy Addo and goalkeeper Blankson, in a man-of-the-match performance, kept Kuffour and his striking partners at bay.
As time wore on, Liberty began running the show, especially with the introduction of David Boateng in midfield and speedsters Yamoah and Hanson on the wings to wear out the tired Hearts full backs Amankwaah Mireku and Dan Quaye. That tactic proved a success as it resulted in the disallowed own goal.
From the 73rd minute onwards the Hearts' agile, goalie Sammy Adjei, was called to duty to save the Phobians from further humiliation. Adjei saved two goal-bound shots by Tierro and another chance by Yamoah. Between them Kuffour came close to rescuing his side in the 82nd minute but his shot curled away from the crossbar narrowly
After the match, an elated Cecil Jones Attuquayefio, Technical Director of Dansoman-based Liberty Professionals whose boys deepened the woes of Accra Hearts of Oak with a lone goal victory on Saturday said the feat was not a revenge over his former club.
It was a sweet victory for the former Hearts helmsman whose side crumbled before a determined Phobians side with a 2-0 bashing in the opening of match of the LG Top Four Tournament a fortnight ago; But he told a post match conference that Saturday's victory was not extra ordinary.
"I'm happy I have been able as it were to help Hearts seen their mistakes, it was obvious that they made too many mistakes, though they played some good football", coach Attuquayefio said.
The coach, who was verbally abused and humiliated by fans of his former club after his side's lost to them in the first game said "Liberty has now find its bearing and tempo it lost weeks ago".
"Over the weeks, as you would have noticed, we played well in all our games and only failed to score. The difference now is that, we have worked on the scoring problems, hence the current results", the former African Coach of year said.
Asked whether he had his eyes on the trophy, the coach answered in the affirmative adding, "why not, now that we are on the same points with the Phobians, any thing can happen".
On his part, Herbert Addo, Head Coach of Accra Hearts of Oak, said the defeat has exposed the weaknesses of the team which he promised to tackled before the next match. He said although his boys played well in the first half, they could not maintain the tempo in the second half, which caused them dearly.
Coach Addo, however, said that Liberty played better and deserved the victory. He said the focus of the team is Africa, which kicks off next month adding that there is the need to build a winsome team for the competition.
Hearts: Sammy Adjei, Amankwah Mireku Dan Quaye, Dan Oppong, Princeton Owusu-Ansah, Masawudu Mumuni/Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, Edmund Copson/Joe Ansah, Adjah Tetteh, Eric Nyarko, Don Bortey, Wisdom Abbey
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