Soccer News of Monday, 20 December 2004

Source: GNA

Hearts draw with Benin Under 20 in Lome

Lome (Togo), Dec. 20, GNA - Accra Hearts of Oak, currently in a secret camp in the Togolese capital Lome, ahead of their first leg Confederation Cup final against archrivals Asante Kotoko, drew 1-1 with the Benin national under-20 side in Lome on Sunday. Omotoyossi Razak, scored for Benin in the 35th minute while Prince Tagoe equalized for Hearts in the 63rd minute.

Head Coach Jones Atuquayefio told the GNA in a post-match interview that the team was working very hard to put smiles on the faces of their endearing supporters.

Describing the Benin side as a good team, he said the encounter has helped to re-uplift the spirit of the Hearts team, having broken camp for three weeks following the postponement of the grand finale. "The Benin side would help us fine tune and we are preparing well to face our opponent (kotoko)", he said.

Coach Atuquayefio said the two legs would be peaceful as far as the players were concerned, hoping that the matches would be played in a tension-free atmosphere.

Hearts are scheduled to play series of friendlies with some Togolese clubs before the first leg on January 2.