GhanaFA

Kotoko coasting to Top-4 title

16 years ago
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Asante Kotoko are just a point away from picking a second Top-4 title after the Porcupine Warriors recorded a third successive win in the four-club competition.

The Porcupine Warriors on Sunday opened a 6-point lead after doing the double over Heart of Lions at the Robert Mensah stadium with a 2-1 victory on match-day-4.

Kotoko after a disappointing campaign in the premier league by their own standards would need atleast a point from their remaining two matches to take the title to Kumasi, which would be their second time of winning the off-season tournament.

Veteran signing, Emmanuel Osei Kuffour broke the deadlock when he beat the Lions defence to score the opener for Asante Kotoko.

Kuffour’s first half opener ensured that Kotoko went into recess 1-0 up.

Heart of Lions returned from the break and managed to push for the equaliser courtesy an Addoquaye Addo goal.

However, the red army again jumped into the lead when a mix up in the defence of Heart of Lions allowed substitute Francis Akwaffo to easily beat goalkeeper Mozart Adjetey.

The second goal put the game beyond the impressive Lions side who now drop to third on the standings after four rounds of matches.

At the Coronation Park, Accra Hearts of Oak’s hope of getting back into contention and possibly mounting a challenge for a third Top-4 title went up in smoke as Berekum Arsenals denied the Phobians a win in their 1-1 drawn fixture.

The result was the second successive draw recorded by the Phobians and the fourth by the Gunners.

Both sides remain winless in the competition as they go into their last two matches of the tournament.

Ishmael Addo put Hearts of Oak, two-time winners of the competition in the lead on 23 minutes of the first half when his deflected shot went straight into the post.

But that first half strike by the three-time former top scorer in the league was cancelled out by Halifax Afranie who drew level for the Gunners in the second half.

The Phobians could not jump into the lead again as they remain bottom of the table after match-day-4 while the Gunners leapfrog into second place but level on points with the third-placed side, Heart of Lions.

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, Kpando Heart of Lions all past winners and Berekum Arsenals are competing for honours in the 1.4 billion cedi competition.