League Report of Sunday, 27 July 2003
Source: GNA
Accra, July 27, GNA - Defending League Champions, Accra Hearts of Oak, registered their highest score line yet, beating Mine Stars 5-0 to keep their chase at this year's Kinapharma Premier League Trophy alive.
The Phobians still trail their bitterest rivals Asante Kotoko by just a point as the Kumasi boys won by a lone goal over Arsenals in Kumasi. Hearts started in a whirlwind manner and could have registered a cricket score line if the attackers had kept their cool in front of goal.
Laryea Kingston who is scheduled to travel to Israel on Sunday evening to have a trial with an Israeli first division team, opened the scores in the sixth minute when he finished off a Lawrence Adjei thunderbolt, which took a ricochet off the upright.
Between the eighth and 15th minutes, when the second goal came, left winger Frank Turkson and Nasiru Ghani had wasted several opportunities to increase the tally for the Phobians.
Ghani, however, atoned for his earlier misses as he squeezed in the second after a great contest between him and goalkeeper Eric Asare in the 15th minute.
Surprisingly, Amadu Abdul Sanad charged on the referee to register his protest over the goal for no apparent reason. Kumasi-based referee Stephen Oduro subsequently, gave him the matching off orders for dissent.
Turkson made it three in the 26th minute while speedster Lawrence Adjei scored the fourth goal three minutes later.
Substitute Frank Ntim Twum put the final nail on the coffin for Mines Stars with an 82nd minute banging when he capitalized on a defensive blunder by the visitors.
The only goal of the match was scored in the 14th minute through Isaac Boakye who connected Michael Osei's pass.
Kotoko, who failed to impress their teeming supporters, started the game on a serious note with a miss by Michael Osei whose header was brilliantly parried to corner by goalkeeper Justice Quarcoo in the third minute.
Osei again missed a good chance in the 11th minute after racing with the ball into Arsenals penalty box but shot into the hands of goalkeeper Quarcoo.
Kotoko kept on pressing for the opener, but in the 13th minute a cross from Michael Osei was headed away by Isaac Boakye but the striker made amends and scored the opener in the 14th minute.
Soon after scoring the opener, Kotoko relaxed, making faulty passes and allowed Arsenals to dictate the pace of the game as Charles Benson missed the post with a header in the 41st minute.
In the 44th minute, goalkeeper Quarcoo failed to grab a shot and Aziz Ansah slotted the ball into the net but referee J.O. Lamptey from Accra disallowed it. Just a minute later, Yusif Chipsah was pulled down by a defender and the referee did not hesitate to whistle for a penalty which was wasted by Stephen Oduro.
On resumption, Arsenals came in strongly and made serious incursions into Kotoko area but the defence weathered the storm.
Kotoko brought in Anars Mohammed for Stephen Oduro in the 59th minute who after only 24th minutes in the game was also replaced by Dan Yeboah to strengthen the broken down midfield while Arsenals also brought on Kwame Agyei for Eric Adu Poku in the 61st minute as Chipsah missed a chance in the 62nd minute.
The visitors who looked well composed and determined to equalised brought in Seth Antwi Gyan for Benson in the 71st minute while Kotoko also brought on Nana Arhin Duah for Edmund Owusu Ansah. It was however Arsenals who benefited from the changes as they pinned Kotoko to the wall forcing them to make mistakes and in the process. Frank Asua nearly equalised in the 83rd minute but he fired off target. Kotoko came into the picture in the dying minute but Chipsah's shot at goal was saved by goalkeeper Quarcoo.
At Obuasi, visiting Brong Ahafo United played a powerful soccer but lost 2-1 to Obuasi Goldfields in their encounter at the Len Clay Stadium.
The miners scored twice in the first half before the visitors cancelled one to end the half.
Inspired by Valentine Atem, Goldfields nearly opened the scoring in the third minute but George Eraino wasted a penalty after Atem was brought down when in a good position to score. Determined to vent their spleen on the visitors following the deduction of six points from their points-build-up, Goldfields kept the pressure on their opponents wasting two cornerkicks in the 13th and 19th minutes.
In the 20th minute Valentine who was a target of rough play earned another penalty for his side drawing protests from the visitors for two minutes before Valentine scored to snatch the opener for the miners. In the 29th minute, speedster Shaibu Yakubu scored the second goal for his side when he connected beautifully to Valentine's cross. Not disturbed by the two goals, BA United improved their game, mounting a number of attacks which yielded dividend in the 31st minute when Osman Sakora capitalised on a defensive blunder by Kwame Addo to beat onrushing goalkeeper Isaac Amoako.
BA United and Goldfields introduced flesh limbs into their game with a number of substitutions in the second half but it was BA United who played better.
Charles Ampiah nearly snatched the equaliser for the visitors when his terrific shot from one of their marauding raids hit the crossbar and bounced back into play.
The visitors, still pressuring the miners earned three cornerkicks on the trot in the 81st minute but wasted them all.