A 45th minute strike by Peter Amidu Acquah was all Asante Kotoko needed to climb to the second spot of the Ghana Premier League table when the hosted Bibiani Gold Stars at the Baba Yara Stadium on Friday night.
It was the only goal that separated the “Miners” who gave a good fight but succumbed to a team determined not to drop points for the second successive week.
After losing on the road to Hearts of Lions at the Kpando Stadium, Kotoko approached the match with all the seriousness they could offer in front of their home fans.
They took the game to their guests right after referee Rustum Sernogbe signalled the commencement of the match, forcing goalkeeper Yaw Osei to make an early save under three minutes.
The visitors immediately returned fire at the other end of the pitch with a swift attack led by their lead striker, Prince Kwabena Owusu whose effort was calmly collected by Frederick Asare.
With both teams serving early notice of their attacking intent, the stage was set for a cagey encounter as the pattern of play swung from one end of the pitch to the other.
Few chances were created as both coaches left limited spaces for each other to exploit as the game approached the half hour mark.
Kotoko would however step up their performance in search of the opener which didn’t look like arriving anytime soon.
They fired from all angles with Steve Dese Mukwala and Baba Yahaya causing all sorts of problems for the backline of Gold Stars.
Their breakthrough came two minutes into additional time when Peter Amidu Acquah connected home a cross into the box by Kalou Ouatara.
It was build up from the left initiated by Enoch Morrison which saw Kalou sending the ball to the vital area where Acquah directed the ball into the net after eluding a forest of legs.
Gold Stars were presented a glorious opportunity to pull parity when the were awarded a free kick just on the edge of the box, but Owusu’s effort was gathered by Asare.
The kick turned out to be the last action of the half as referee Sernogbe ended proceedings.
The visitors resumed the second half on the front foot, making two quick incursions into the Kotoko box but the opportunities were thrown away by Owusu and Eric Bosomtwe.
They were almost punished for their profligacy when Kotoko switched defence into attack but Mukwala’s feeble strike could not trouble the goalkeeper.
Aggressive tackles and heckling characterised the first 15 minutes of the second half as both teams strategised to fetch the next goal.
This resulted in numerous temporary hold ups with the referee cautioning the players to show sportsmanship or face his wrath.
The last ten minutes saw a fierce battle especially in the midfield where both coaches sought to build their attacks from.
Asante Kotoko held on to secure all three points despite the visitor’s push for the equaliser.
GNA
WE
01 March 2024
