Sports News of Thursday, 12 August 1999

Source: null

Soccer-Olympics thrash GHAPOHA 3-1 in ABC/FA Cup

Accra (Greater Accra), 12th August 99

Accra Great Olympics secured a semi-final berth in the ABC Golden Lager FA Cup when they thrashed Ghapoha F/C 3-1 in their quarterfinal match played at the Accra Sports Satdium on Wednesday.

Goals from Razak Pimpong in the seventh, Amui Quaye, 27th and Nana Eshun in the 60th minute, gained Olympics the passport to the next stage of the competition. Kwasi Lawson scored the only goal for Ghapoha in the 34th minute.

Olympics who started the game on an impressive note should have taken the lead in the fifth minute but Eshun's lob over onrushing goalkeeper Alfred Mills was parried to touch.

Two minutes later, Pimpong shot Olympics ahead when he connected home Eshun's free kick.

After the goal, Olympics continued to pile pressure on Ghapoha, but the visiting team changed the tide in their favour and made twogood attempts at goal in the 21st and 23rd minutes through Kwabena Boateng and Robert Amoako.

Olympics countered the Ghapoha attack and got their second goal in the 27th minute when Quaye nodded home from an Eshun cross from the right flank which goalie Mills failed to grab at the first instance.

Three minutes later, Quaye again planted the ball into Ghapoha's net but the goal was disallowed for offside positioning.

Ghapoha repulsed the attack and pulled a goal back in the 34th minute through Lawson when he finished off a two-man move between Boateng and Amoako.

Back from the break, Ghapoha started very strongly but could not maintain the pace, allowing Olympics to take

control and net their third goal in the 60th minute through Eshun,. He fired the ball into the Ghapoha's net from an acute angle when goalkeeper Mills punched a corner-kick onto his path.

Ghapoha made two changes, pulling out goalkeeper Mills for Joseph Mensah in the 65th minute and Lawson for Alex Awuah in the 79th minute.

The changes helped Ghapoha to pick up their game but wasted a 90th- minute opportunity when Boateng's header went off the crossbar.

The match between Ebusua Dwarfs and Real Tamale United at Cape Coast did not come off because the Tamale boys failed to turn up.