Results of the 24th week Kinapharma Premier League Matches played on Wednesday, October 29
Kumasi: Kotoko 3-0 Okwawu
C. Coast: Hearts 3-0 Stay Cool
Sunyani: B'kwa 1-0 Olympics
Sekondi: H'cas 1-1 King Faisal
Berekum: Arsenals 2-0 Mine Stars
Bolga: RTU 1-0 Goldfields
K'dua: Power 0-1 Heart of Lions
Accra: Liberty 4-0 Brong Ahafo United
Liberty Trounce BA
In Accra, Dansoman Liberty Professionals whipped BA United 4-0 in their 24th in their match played at the nation's Wembley, Accra Sports Stadium scoring two goals in each half.The game saw the George Arthur lads having the best of exchanges and yet they failed to translate their superiority into scoring the goals and allowed Liberty's Eric Bekoe to show them how to do it when he opened the flood gates in the 13th minutes after weaving his way through the visitors vital area.
A doubtful penalty which was met with boos from the scanty fans was awarded to Liberty five minutes later was converted by Micheal Helegbe to consolidate the lead for the Dansoman lads. United's play, characterized by too many touches quickly switched the pressure on the the homesters but their attacking machinery made up of Oppong Mensah, Kwadwo Owusu and Usman Sakora lacked the penetrating power to cause any major havoc upfront. From the recess, Liberty fought for more goals and during one of their moves upfront, hardworking Felix Baffoe slotted in the third goal in the 47th minute.
Both teams introduced fresh limbs into the game, but it was the scientific soccer lads who became the beneficiaries as David Boateng who substituted Bekoe scored the fourth goal by his first touch of the ball.
Boateng's goal which sealed the doom for the visitors was a rebound from a powerful Agyeman Hanson drive which kissed the post and bounce back into play.
The Sunyani boys clearest chance fell to Charles Ampiah to reduce the tally in the later stages of the game, but with only keeper Kotie Blankson at his mercy, the player shot wide to the dismay of the fans.
Hearts Beat Stay Cool
At Cape Coast, Accra Hearts of Oak, worsened the plight of relegation-haunted Stay Cool FC, when they thrashed them 3-0 in their match played at the Cape Coast sports stadium.The Phobia boys who dominated the first half, made victory certain by the 68th minute when they had banged in three solid goals amidst cheers from their teeming supported who had thronged the stadium. Kicking off under the instructions of Tema based class one referee Joseph
Mortey, Hearts opened the scoring with a spot kick when Ablode Morgan, playing at outside position was chopped down in the penalty box by a Stay Cool defender in the 8th minute. Referee Mortey awarded a penalty from which Morgan scored the opener for his side.
Inspired by the lead, Hearts continued to pile pressure on their opponents and in the process, earned a free kick in the 10th minute and outside left Bernard Don Bortey, gave a tailor measured pass to Adjah Tettey to connect the ball into the net two minutes later.
Stay Cool, hit back and made frantic efforts to equalise, but the iron-clad Hearts' defence made up of Dan Quaye, Amankwa Mireku and Kwame Antwi, kept them at bay until half time.
Both teams, exhausted their substitutions but Stay Cool who benefited from it to outplay Hearts but lack of coordination upfront denied them goals.
However, in the 68th minute, Morgan took a fast break to displace goalkeeper Tetteh Luggard, and put the ball into the yawning net to bring the scores to 3-0.
In the dying minutes, Stay Cool took control of the match and baffled Hearts' defence with short and accurate passes, but try as they did, they failed to find the net until full time.
Kotoko 3 Okwawu 0
League leaders, Kumasi Asante Kotoko played a good game to beat Okwawu United 3-0 in their match played in Kumasi when the league resumed on Wednesday after a month's break.Kotoko took the field by storm and shot into the lead in the 11th minute through a penalty taken by Aziz Ansah. Kotoko put the visitors under severe pressure and in one of their forays, Umar Yakubu fouled Komi Adzagba and Aziz Ansah scored from the penalty spot to put Kotoko one up.
Okwawu organised themselves and nearly had the equaliser a minute later but Paul Amponsah shot straight into the open hands of goalkeeper George Owu, while Osei Bonsu's shot hit the post and bounced back into play in the 20th minute.
Stephen Oduro of Kotoko, who was a thorn in the flesh of the visitors, tailored a pass through the defence of their opponents but Frank Osei's shot hit the side netting in the 27th minute.
In the 36th minute, Edmund Owusu-Ansah's beautiful shot was pushed into play and Stephen Oduro who was lurking around picked it up, beat two defenders and curled it into the net for Kotoko's second goal. Owusu-Ansah missed a chance to raise Kotoko's tally in the 44th minute when he delayed and allowed Okwau defenders to clear the ball.
In the second half, Kotoko brought on Michael Asante for injured Issah Ahmed to strengthen the defence and in the 53rd minute, skipper George Tutu of Okwawu nearly gave away a goal when his clearance went straight to Stephen Oduro but the pint size Kotoko striker fumbled with the chance.
In the 55th minute, Kotoko sent in Michael Osei for Imbola Sardzi in an effort to put some sharpness into their attack.
Referee F.K. Basaw of Takoradi showed the red card to Umar Yakubu of Okwawu for rough play on Stephen Oduro in the 59th minute. Not deterred by the numerical disadvantage, Okwawu came strongly into the picture and nearly reduced the tally in the 60th minute but Owu made mince meat of Osei Bonsu's header.
Okwawu substituted Kwabena Boateng for Thomas Avorgbedor in the 64th minute and before they could settle down, Aziz Ansah's perfect cross was headed home by Owusu-Ansah in the 67th minute to make it three without a reply.
Bofoakwa In Narrow Win
In Sunyani, Bofoakwa Tano played a well determined game to win 1-0 against visiting "Wonder" club, Accra Great Olympics at the Sunyani Coronation park.The goal, scored by Tahiru Abdulai (alias "Fan Milk") in the 41st minute was, however, vehemently protested against by Olympics alleging that goalkeeper John Adjetey was able to save the ball, which first hit the post.
But referee William Agbovi of Suhum stood his grounds with the explanation that the ball after hitting the post went over the goal line before goalkeeper Adjetey grabbed it.
Before that the two sides played an uncompromising game with Olympics coming close to scoring in the sixth and ninth minutes but wasted the two chances.
Bofoakwa then came into the picture but Tahiru Abdulai failed to utilize two clear goal chances in the 18th and 20th minutes. From thence it was all Bofoakwa but Akwasi Matthew's close-range shot in the 35th minute was beautifully parried over the bar by goalkeeper Adjetey and the resultant corner-kick was wasted.
In the 38th minute defender Paul Donkor of Bofoakwa had a goal scoring chance at Oly's vital area but he woefully shot wide. Thomas Duah replaced Donkor and the homesters' constant attacks up front eventually earned them the 41st minute goal through Tahiru. Just before the end of the first half Bofoakwa replaced injured goalkeeper Michael Addai with Ransford Cudjoe.
The game on resumption nearly degenerated into roughhouse tactics and captain Kwabena Dodzi of Olympics was red cared in the 49th minute for rough play.
Playing with a numerical disadvantage, Olympics quickly made some changes to their attacking machinery by bringing in John Cudjoe for Wilfred Dormon and Odartey Roger for Joe Tagoe in the 53rd and 54th minutes respectively.
In the 58th minute Adusei Poku of Bofoakwa received a yellow card for rough play.
Making use of their numerical advantage Bofoakwa dominated play for a greater part of the half but Nuhey poorly finished off a beautiful combination between Tahiru and himself in the 67th minute, which could have earned them the second goal. At Berekum, Arsenals beat visiting Prestea Mine Stars 2-0 in their encounter.
Heart of Lions on the war path
Koforidua, Oct. 29, GNA- Visiting Kpandu Heart of Lions on Wednesday beat Koforidua based Power F/C one nil in their 24th week Kinapharma Premier League match played at Koforidua.Heart of Lions scored the only goal of the match in the 73rd minute when their outside right Okaidja Thompson took advantage of a defensive blunder on the part of Mohammed Bello, who in an attempt to clear the ball from their goal area deflected it unto the path of Thompson for him to slot the ball into the net.
The defenders of Power who looked tied towards the end of the match broke the hearts of their supporters and the technical bench when left full back, Francis Impraim in an effort to clear the ball scored an own goal but luckily for them the goaql disallowed by the referee. Power had themselves to blame for not taking advantage of a number of good goal scoring chances that came their way in the early part of the second half which they wasted.
In the 49th minute, Power had a free kick in the half of Heart of Lions and their inside right's kick beat Sumaila Agbala in the post of Lions but the ball hit the cross bar and bounced back into play.