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 Kotoko share spoils with Hearts
By: Jerome Otchere
Posted: 26th May 2008
Fabulous Kumasi Asante Kotoko kept its home invincibility in the Onetouch Premier League unbroken on Sunday when it remarkably recovered twice from a goal down to draw 3-3 against Accra Hearts of Oak in an outstanding league match played in front of a capacity crowd at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
It was the 39th league clash between the two sides in Kumasi since 1958 and if had Kotoko won, it would have been their 17th win over Hearts of Oak.
Expectations from supporters of both teams were naturally high. At the end of proceedings, followers of Hearts of Oak were the most elated given the fact that they feared an annihilation of their team which is still struggling to find its feet.
For Kotoko fans, the feeling was mixed. Whilst some believed the team could have done much better, others argued that the result was reflective of the thrilling 90-minute duel and that the 46-point lead was what mattered most.
The rest contended that in a match that saw Coach Bashir Hayford missing three of his talented and influential players in the persons of Harrison Afful, Prince Anokye and Nii Adjei, it was proper for the 3-3 draw to be accepted and commendations going to the team for their valiant effort.
 A win for Kotoko by any margin would have been a sumptuous icing on the cake, considering the happy moments witnessed during the launching of the club’s new sponsorship deal with mobile cellular giants, tiGO on Saturday evening at the plush Golden Tulip Hotel.
The thrills at the launching of the tiGO-Kotoko corporate relationship were carried to the stadium from the imposing Golden Tulip Hotel.
Thus when the Porcupine Warriors appeared in an all red tiGO branded jerseys with their name imprinted on the back, the enthusiastic fans could not hold onto the excitement. The applause was even bigger when Referee William Agbovi signaled the two teams into action with the Phobians starting the game.
Kotoko was first to initiate an attack after Eric Bekoe was fouled a minute after kick-off. Nothing meaningful came out of the resultant free kick. Intense pressure was mounted on Hearts as Francis Akwaffo showed great dexterity when he had possession.
His adroitness on the right flank was marvelous and for the first fifteen minutes of the game, he created serious problems for his marker Charles Vardis whose last resort on certain occasions was to foul him.
Kotoko’s total dominance of the game from the start meant that a goal was imminent. Hearts in the 11th minute crumbled under pressure when Jordan Opoku delightfully outwitted Stephen Offei on the left side of defence and swiftly cut into the 18-yard box to find speeding Kwadwo Poku who wasted no time to powerfully drive home the first goal.
 The massive explosion of cheers spurred Kotoko on in search for more goals but that was not to be. Don Bortey wonderfully brought Hearts on level terms in the 14th minute.
Kotoko fans were utterly shocked by the Hearts’ equaliser. The build-up to that equaliser was just too quick. The Phobians later attacked with aggression and most of their tackles were rough. Surprisingly, Referee William Agbovi ignored Hearts’ dangerous tackles judging them as innocuous.
The apparent aggressive play adopted by Hearts boosted their confidence. They initiated astonishing counter attacks in the 19th and 21st minutes but left Kotoko off the hook with their poor shooting.
A treacherous counter attack initiated by Eric Gawu and Don Bortey in the 34th could have shot Hearts ahead but after the former outmaneuvered the whole Kotoko defence with his pace, he found Don Bortey who misfired badly to the relief of the nervous Kotoko supporters.
The performance of Kotoko’s defenders was fraught with errors and one avoidable mistake by Richard Manu in the 41st minute proved too costly.
Richard Manu who sustained an injury after that futile tackle was the last man in defence when he lost to Ekow Ghansah in a ground challenge. The Hearts attacker controlled well to beat Soulama Abdoulaye with a very decent strike to make it 2-1. Julius Adjabeng consequently replaced injured Richard Manu.
The smiles were back on the faces of Kotoko fans in the 43rd minute as Eric Bekoe fetched the equalizer. Bekoe received a pass from Jordan Opoku in the penalty box and the intelligent finisher beautifully placed the ball beyond the reach of Hearts’ goalie Sani Mohammed.
Hearts again went up 3-2 as Francis Bossman caught the entire Kotoko defence pants down with a 25-metre strike that sailed into the net.
Following that goal, it was clear that Soulama Abdoulaye who limped for over 30 minutes was just having a bad day. His place was taken by Eric Nii Baah after recess. Nii Baah appeared composed than Soulama Abdoulaye.
There were questions as to why Coach Bash kept him in the game at the time the Burkinabe goalie was disorganised by the 14th minute injury. The ‘kum apem’ spirit lived on nevertheless. Stephen Oduro, whose performance has gone up since the Dolphins FC game, made it 3-3 four minutes after the interval with a master shot fired outside the 18-yard box. Oduro’s equaliser fired up Kotoko but the winning goal proved elusive.
Emmanuel Osei Kuffour was on for Francis Akwaffo in the 50th minute but that substitution made no significant impact. Francis Bossman also went out for Ishmael Addo in the 58th minute with Kwabena Boafo taking over from Ekow Ghansah 78th minute.
Both substitutions did little to change the score line. Kotoko was more purposeful in attack than Hearts as the game cruised to end but they continuously squandered all scoring opportunities until the end of the game.
Kotoko line-up: Soulama Abdoulaye/Eric Nii Baah, Daniel Acquah, Samuel Inkoom, George Asare, Richard Manu/Julius Adjabeng, Stephen Oduro, Francis Akwaffo/Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, Jordan Opoku, Eric Bekoe, Kwadwo Poku, Francis Coffie.
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