GhanaFA

Defeat caps Kotoko glory

16 years ago
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Joe Louis ensured that Hearts of Oak settled scores with their sworn rivals, Asante Kotoko and maintain some level pride after a 1-0 victory on the final day of matches in the Top-4 competition.

The win denied the run away winners of the competition, the Porcupine Warriors, a double over the Phobians in the four-team event.

For the Phobians, the victory though coming too late in the competition was their first after six games in the tournament but they still finish the off-season tournament bottom of the table with five points to their credit from a maximum of 18.

Asante Kotoko who enjoyed a greater part of possession at the Coronation Park have themselves to blame with near misses from Kwabena Yaro and Emmanuel Osei Kuffour.

However, Hearts of Oak winger, Joe Louis was on hand to teach his former club a lesson when he scored on the stroke of regulation time in the first half and maintained the Phobians’ over a decade’s unbeaten run at the Coronation Park.

Kotoko came close when they had an indirect free-kick awarded against the Phobians after Hassan Mohammed had pushed Douglas Nkrumah to ground around the vital area of the Phobians but Kwabena Yaro’s shot went straight into the human wall before Eric Nii Adjei’s rebound flew into the stands.

For Hearts of Oak, the win over their fiercest rivals, Kotoko seems to placate their disheartened followers and also somehow ease the pressure on coach Mitko Dobrev, who had before the competition won the league title for the Phobians.

Kotoko, though losers on the final day, they were crowned champions of the four-team tournament as they win it for the second time.

In the other game at the Robert Mensah Park, Heart of Lions shared the spoils with Berekum Arsenals in a goalless drawn game.

The result consolidated the Lions’ hold of second place while the Gunners settled for the third position.

The Top-4 competition is played among the first four clubs of the premier league at the end of every soccer season.

Accra Hearts of Oak, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Heart of Lions are all past winners while Berekum Arsenals who were late entrants for this season’s 1.4 billion cedi competition are yet to win the tournament.